The Ultimate Fairytale: Tenten's Story
by Esperwen
Summary: Tenten is a young farmgirl who must part from her love, Neji, so that he may seek his destiny to give them both a decent future. Can she and her friends withstand the wait? AU TentenXNeji Nejiten -The Ultimate FairyTale is a paralleled series-
1. A Bedtime Story

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, any characters, themes or pairings affiliated, etc., etc. And this disclaimer covers this ENTIRE story.

This Alternate Universe (AU) story will be written parallel to other stories with "The Ultimate Fairytale:" in the title. And those other stories will come soon. Very soon. As soon as this story is done being posted.

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Esperwen: Hello, all! See, I told you I'd post this thing within a week. ...Ok, it's been exactly a week, plus a few hours, but hey. At least it's here. I _promise_ I'll update at least twice a week; once on Thursdays, and once on Mondays. If not, feel free to throw stuff. I think I like these fics...they're very cute. I kind of shocked myself with how shoujo (The 'shoujo' genre is stuff aimed at girls. 'Shounen' is aimed at guys; for example, Naruto is a shounen manga, while Tsubasa is shoujo.) they turned out. Oh well. Take it or leave it. Though I'd prefer you take it. Please read!

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-Chapter One: A Bedtime Story-

"Ow!"

"Quit it."

"_You_ stop!"

"You started it."

"So? ...Ow!"

"..."

"You're twisting my arm!"

"I warned you."

"You're hurting me!"

"You should've thought of that earlier."

"Let go!"

_**Smack!**_

"Hey, that _hurt!_"

"You shoulda let go!"

Though it was late at night, the twins were fighting again. Their mother sighed as she listened at their bedroom door; why did they never get along?

"Leave me alone," a young boy's voice said, in a bored tone.

"Why are you so mean?!" his sister exclaimed, sounding close to tears.

"You're annoying," the boy answered in a deadpan; his mother could just imagine him shrugging.

"They're fighting again?"

The mother felt her husband put an arm around her waist; she hadn't even heard him approach.

"Of course," she answered, rolling her eyes, "They've been trying all day to-"

"You _always_ call me that!" the girl wailed, but her parents ignored it for a moment.

"...be on their best behaviour for your father-"

"That's because it's true," the boy explained, almost patiently.

"-and you know that they _have_ to fight at least once a day," the mother finished.

"You pig!" the girl yelled, and a soft thud was heard.

"I think Yama-chan just threw a pillow," the father observed, leaning forward to hear a little better.

"I said, leave me alone!" the boy exclaimed, and a louder soft thud was heard.

"And Ari-kun retaliates," the mother sighed, then looked sideways at her husband, "Isn't it your turn to break those two up?"

"You'd like that," the father said derisively, letting his wife go and moving away slightly.

"What seems to be the problem?" an older man's voice asked politely, and the husband and wife turned to see who it was.

"You're a fat, mean pig!"

All three adults in the hallway heard Shiyama yell shrilly at her twin brother.

_I see...my wife was right when she said they fought often,_ the older man thought silently.

"Otou-sama," the mother said in a surprised voice, "I thought you had already gone home? Isn't it a bit late?"

"I came back," the middle-aged man answered, and just as he finished, a thunderclap sounded.

"Ah...You saw rain was getting worse, and our home was closer," the mother understood, smiling, "You can stay for the night, then."

"Thank you."

"OW!"

"Who's a pig now?!"

"My leg!"

"No, not just your leg! All of you!"

"...I'm so sorry you had to hear that," the mother apologized, blushing as she bowed to her father-in-law.

"Please, do not worry," the man said, making a slight dismissing motion with one hand, "They are only eight years of age."

"Pain!"

"OOOW!"

The three adults winced; the twins' screams were getting serious.

"Mom, she bit me!"

Two thuds were heard, then running footsteps toward the bedroom door.

"Daddy, he pulled my hair!"

The door swung open, into the twins' bedroom; the small girl had her hand on the knob, and she managed to knock her brother over with the door.

"And then he-" she started to tell her father, then her close-to-tears expression slowly changed into that of shock, "...oh."

"Mom, you're here! Yama just..." the boy stopped his tirade when he got up and saw who else was in the hallway, "G-grandfather!"

Immediately, both children looked at each other, smoothed the others' hair and pyjamas, then stood straight-backed, side by side, to face their adored grandfather. He travelled often, and only managed to visit for maybe a few days every month, but the twins were completely devoted to him and always showed their best behaviour when he was around. It tended to annoy their parents, because as soon as Grandfather left, the twins went back to their old habits.

"Good evening, children," the man said gently, crouching down so that he was at their level.

"Good evening, Grandfather," both of them said at the same time.

"They aren't even this 'perfect' around your mom," the mother muttered to her husband, quiet enough that the children couldn't hear.

"I thought you went home, Grandfather," Ari said quietly.

"Not that we mind! We want you to stay," his sister added quickly.

"I came back, because there is a storm outside," the grandfather explained, motioning to the twins' bedroom window, "But perhaps the storm inside was what had your attentions."

As another thunderclap sounded, the twins looked guiltily at each other, then at the floor; somehow, during their fight, they had managed to not notice thunder and lightning.

"How about I send these two to bed?" the grandfather suggested, turning back to his son and daughter-in-law, "You two probably have other things to do."

"Fine by me," the father shrugged, taking his wife by the hand, _One less chore to handle_.

"If it isn't too much trouble..." the mother's voice trailed off.

"It would be a pleasure," the grandfather said, "Good night."

"Good night," the mother smiled, and her husband nodded before leading her off.

"Good night!" Yama waved, as her parents went down the hallway.

Ari, however, looked solemnly at his grandfather. Now his hero knew that he got into fights with his sister. How disillusioned and disappointed his grandfather must be!

"Go on," the grandfather spun the two children around by the shoulders, and gave them a slight push towards their beds, "Get in."

The twins obeyed, wordlessly crawling into their beds and pulling up the covers around them. Their grandfather sat in a short chair he pulled up between their beds, then nodded to Yama, who was looking at him with a pleading expression.

"Are you mad?" she asked, clutching at her bedspread, "Y'know...'cuz we fought?"

"Are you ashamed?" Ari asked, when his grandfather shook his head.

"Should I be?" the grandfather asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well..." Ari looked down at his hands, mumbling, "Maybe a little..."

"Then why would you two fight?" the grandfather asked, leaning forward in his chair, and the twins looked at each other.

"It started raining," Ari began to explain, looking at his grandfather, "And Yama started to get all scared."

"I wasn't scared! ...Just nervous," Yama pouted, crossing her arms.

"So she wanted me to tell her a stupid story," Ari continued, "And when I said, 'no', she jumped on me!"

"You didn't say, 'no'! You said, 'be quiet, you baby'!" Yama corrected, her voice rising, "And I wanted a story so I could listen to that, instead of the rain."

"Is that it? Yama-chan wanted a story?" the grandfather asked, sounding patient, "Ari, you might have called your parents to tell one for you. And Yama, you did not need to jump on your brother."

"...ok," Yama sighed reluctantly, while Ari nodded, but then she added, "But Daddy's stories are boring, and Mama always wants me to help her tell the story. I wanted someone who can just talk and talk...and Ari's stories are like that."

"But I'm too tired to think one up," Ari argued, "And you always want a new story."

The man smiled slightly as he watched his grandchildren bicker a little. At least they were not biting each other or pulling hair, this time.

"...How would you like if I told a story?" the grandfather suggested, after a moment.

"But...I don't want an adventure story," Yama said, hesitating, "Um...I like your adventures, Grandpa, but they aren't bedtime stories."

"I like adventures!" Ari said quickly, sitting up straighter, "C'mon, Grandfather! Lots of action!"

"No, a love story is better!" Yama protested, shaking her head, "And Ari, you didn't even want a story!"

"We can have both," the grandfather said, stopping further argument, "I know a story that is not one of my own adventures, and there is both action and love."

"Eew..." Ari groaned openly, too tired to try and impress his grandfather, now.

"Ok!" Yama nodded enthusiastically, shifting around in her bed to get comfortable, "Ari-kun, you don't have to listen."

"I probably won't," the young boy said, rolling over to face away from the other two, and preparing to fall asleep.

"Don't mind him, Grandpa, go ahead!" Yama said cheerfully.

"Very well," the grandfather leaned towards his granddaughter, but kept an eye on his grandson; Ari hadn't put pillows over his ears, after all.

"Once upon a time, not too long ago..."

()1()1()1()1()

"Oh, farmboy!"

Hinata looked up from her daisy chain for a moment, looking at the speaker, then shook her head slightly with a smile and went back to tying flowers together. It was supposed to be a quiet, relaxing day in the meadow, but Tenten was at it again.

"Farmboy! Come here!" Tenten called in a sharp tone, waving to the boy across the field.

"Can't you give him a break?" Michiko asked lazily, on her back with her eyes closed in the grass beside where Hinata was sitting.

"But this is her way of getting his attention," Pooriin teased, handing Hinata another daisy.

"I do _not_ like him!" Tenten insisted, poking both Michiko and Poorin with a stick that was handily nearby, "Not that way, anyway. Hey, farmboy!"

Though she was yelling at him, the 'farmboy' refused to step up his pace in his approach; as he walked across the field, Neji took his time, as if nobody was waiting for him.

"Why does she call him 'farmboy', anyway?" Kakashi asked with a chuckle, standing by his best friend near the barn, watching the younger ones at the other side of the field.

"I think it's a term of endearment," Asuma laughed, tapping the ashes from his cigarette, "But don't let her know I said that. She'd throw something at me."

Tenten was her name, short, sweet, and easy to remember; it just like her, only minus the shortness. At 18 years of age, she lived on a farm in the Blossom Country, with three other girls, one boy her age, and their two guardians, Asuma and Kakashi. All seven of them were something of outcasts in the Faery World, and did not fit in with most people. The other inhabitants of that charmed world had sensed something different in each of them; these seven were destined for adventure in the Faery World, while the other people were meant to be supporters on the outside of that fantasy. But all the people could sense was a 'difference', and since they couldn't understand that special uniqueness, they shunned the seven misfits.

Kakashi and Asuma had been friends since they were small boys, and had been brought up in the village near their farm. But village life had not suited them, so they bought their own land with money earned from odd jobs or donated from relatives, and had lived on their own since they were 16. Now, they leaned against the pigpen's fence, observing from a fair distance the maturing teenagers they had brought up.

"Ugh, they grow up so fast," Asuma said nostalgically, then stood up straight, "Whoa, did I just sound really old, saying that?"

"Yeah, see, that's what you get for being so attached and fatherly to those kids," Kakashi said, then winced, "Ugh, now _I_ sound old, calling them 'kids'. I can't believe I forgot I'm only about 8 years older than them."

"Well, they all were just small kids when they came to our farm," Asuma pointed out, "Do you remember our first spring, after we bought this place?"

"Yeah, Neji was only...what, eight years old?" Kakashi asked, rubbing his chin.

"Sounds right...that would mean his sister was about seven," Asuma nodded, lighting another cigarette.

"But now Hinata's seventeen...wow, it's been 10 years," Kakashi groaned, putting a hand over his face, "Am I developing wrinkles?"

"Then Hinata found Michiko a few months later," Asuma thought out loud, ignoring his friend, "And two years ago, Tenten and Pooriin showed up."

"_Farmboy!_"

Just two years before, Tenten had snuck around the farm for a bit over a week, like an 16-year-old spy on a reconnaissance mission. The two men had been completely aware of her, but when she knocked on the front door of their farmhouse with Pooriin in tow, they managed to fake surprise. With her brown hair in two buns fastened high up on the back of her head, Tenten was a cute, but fierce fighter with a tough exterior that hid her kindness from strangers. Since she had waved a pointy stick at Kakashi like a small sword when they first met, the latter was a bit hesitant as to let her into their home, but Asuma pointed out that if she was willing to look out for a girl only one year younger than herself, Tenten should be all right.

"I still think she's part demon," Kakashi said to Asuma, crossing his arms, "Good thing Pooriin's part angel."

Tenten's friend, Pooriin, had always had the most outgoing personality around, and if Kakashi had harboured any other feelings of hesitance with 'adopting' them, Pooriin had smiled and talked them all away. A little on the short side, Pooriin had a round-ish face, tan skin, long, wavy black hair that was always in a ponytail, and chocolate-brown eyes that never stopped sparkling. She and Tenten were running from an orphanage; by now, Asuma was gaining more confidence with taking care of children, and Kakashi had resigned himself to expect finding a new kid hiding out in his closet every morning, so Tenten and Pooriin had been welcomed in with open arms. Not that Kakashi and Asuma had really had a choice; Tenten all but forced her way in, saying that she 'liked the aura' the farm gave off. Maybe had she sensed that 'special difference' that everyone else shunned.

"Farmboy!" Tenten snapped, even though Neji was now right in front of her.

"Yes, Tenten?" Neji said expressionlessly, though Hinata thought she detected the hint of a sigh.

"Refill my water canteen," Tenten ordered, holding it out towards Neji, "It's empty."

_That, again?_ Michiko thought, still with her eyes closed, but rolling her eyes.

Neji glanced at the container, gave Tenten a look, then took it with a minor smile to the girl.

"As you wish," Neji said quietly, bowing, then he turned around to where the farm's well was.

Tenten glared in an annoyed manner at the back of Neji's head while he left, then averted it when she felt something hit her shoulder. Turning, she saw Pooriin trying to look innocent, while Hinata was pointedly looking away; Michiko still had her eyes closed.

"Pooriin, did you just throw this at me?" Tenten asked, picking up and looking at a wad of grass.

"No. It must have been...the cow over there," Pooriin answered, pointed at a black and white one nearby.

"So, it was Michiko!" Tenten exclaimed, whipping it at the girl in question.

"Hey!" Michiko's narrow, dark-brown eyes snapped open and she rolled to dodge the ball, "What...I had my eyes closed!"

"It's always you," Tenten laughed, poking Michiko with her stick, again.

"Yeah, yeah," Michiko settled down and re-closed her eyes, ready to resume absorbing sunlight; the medium-height girl, with tan skin and long, straight black hair that was always loose, had a tendency to be dramatic, but was always ready for a good laugh or joke.

"Why do you always boss Neji around?" Hinata asked, tying another daisy, "Ever since we got here, you always give him some kind of order."

"Because he always takes it!" Tenten answered, exasperated, "It's always 'as you wish' with that stupid bow of his; never, 'ok' or, 'maybe later' or, 'jeez, leave me alone'. I mean, what self-respecting guy does that?"

"_Crush_," Michiko said in a sing-song voice, dragging the word out so that it was two syllables.

"It is not!" Tenten exclaimed, "I just want him to show some backbone, for once."

"She's teaching him to become a man," Hinata translated for the rest of them, "So that he can be her heroic husband when they get married."

"Never!" Tenten groaned, "Not in a million years!"

"Oh, no!" Pooriin gasped, standing up quickly and pointing in the direction that Tenten was not facing, "What happened to Neji?!"

The oldest girl's face suddenly looked worried, and she turned quickly, expecting some kind of danger; maybe a goblin that had wandered onto their land, or Neji had tripped and hurt himself. But, looking around, she only saw that Neji was walking towards them again, this time with a full canteen. Upset at being tricked, Tenten turned back to her three laughing friends, her eyes narrowed; immediately, they sobered up when they saw a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"Oh, it's my turn to go grocery shopping at the village," Michiko realized, hurrying towards the farmhouse, "I'd better get the list and money!"

"I'm done my daisy chain, so I'll go with you!" Hinata said, placing the flowers on her head and running after Michiko.

"I, uh..." Pooriin looked around frantically for an excuse to avoid Tenten's wrath, "Oh, look! A cow to tip!"

"You guys!" Tenten yelled, grabbing at Pooriin in a feeble attempt to keep them together, "Ugh!"

"Tenten, your water," Neji said, having returned and holding out her canteen.

"You...thanks," Tenten grumbled, snatching it back, uncorking it, and walking away in a huff while drinking.

_Huh. That's the first time in three weeks she's said 'thank you',_ Neji mused, looking after Tenten, then walking towards the farmhouse, _Something must be wrong_.

()

"...Y'know, Neji, if you'd resist a little, Tenten would stop bossing you around all the time," Asuma said, when Neji reached him and Kakashi.

"But then she would start hitting you with one of her stupid sticks," Kakashi added, scratching his head, slightly.

"Where did Hinata and Michiko go?" Neji asked, sidestepping his guardians' chosen topic.

"Market," Asuma answered, "Michiko volunteered for shopping, again. Yeesh. I've barely been to town for months, because of her."

"Is she becoming one of those shopping-loving girls?" Neji grumbled, leaning against the same fence Kakashi was perched on.

"Nah, Michiko isn't so materialistic," Kakashi answered, thinking at the same time, _Did I just say, 'materialistic'? I sound so old... _"Something's telling me you won't me the only boy here, anymore."

Neji narrowed his eyes at the hint that Michiko might be getting into some kind of relationship. Being the only guy for ten years made him both the main object for teasing, but also the main source of protection when Kakashi and Asuma were not around. Neji viewed Michiko like sister; much like how he saw Hinata and Pooriin. Neji would have to keep an eye out for this new boy; make sure he was seeing Michiko for noble purposes.

"Of course, we're only guessing," Asuma said, seeing Neji's hackles go up, "Michiko may just like haggling for food, for all we know."

"Michiko's grown into a pretty girl; she's at a good age to get married, anyway," Kakashi thought out loud, "That's one less mouth to feed, and a little bit more peace and quiet."

"We're still here," Michiko growled, coming around the corner with Hinata and startling the three men, "And I'm not getting married anytime soon."

"Good," Neji smirked, "You're too young."

"And of course, you don't want the affections of a certain brown-haired girl, oh, no sirree," Michiko countered sarcastically, then handed a list to Asuma, "This is all the stuff you wanted, right?"

Neji narrowed his eyes at Michiko's teasing, but he didn't say anything to protest; he never bothered hiding anything from Hinata or Michiko. Pooriin and Tenten, maybe, but Hinata and Michiko had always been, and always would be, his allies.

"...cinnamon," Asuma said, writing it down onto the paper with a pencil Hinata had been holding.

"We already ran out?" Hinata asked, surprised, "We bought a whole can of powder just last week."

"Sorry, my bad," Kakashi said sheepishly, "You know those pancakes we've been having lately? I've been kind of liberal."

"Why are none of us surprised?" Michiko laughed, taking the list back, "You never hold back or pace yourself when it comes to anything. Anyway, we're leaving now...we'll be back before sunset."

"I'll go with you two," Neji said quickly, then he turned to the man beside him, "Kakashi?"

"Here," the masked guardian nodded, tossing a pouch of coins to Neji, "Take care of each other."

"We always do," Hinata smiled, nodding to the two men, and the three teens went on their way.

"...they do grow up fast, don't they?" Asuma murmured, looking at his 'children' while they walked along the dirt road to town.

"Not fast enough," Kakashi laughed lightly, "I want to be a free bachelor again."

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Esperwen: Aaand, _end_ pilot chapter. Whew. I didn't realize how much stuff happened in it until I read it over again today. Well? What did you think? Please review; I need feedback. If you don't tell me my writing is getting awful, then things will get worse. Oh, by the way. Chapters from now on will be a bit shorter than this one; the only reason it was so long, was because it was the first chapter, and a lot of stuff needs to be said. Well, until Monday!


	2. Looking Back

_Esperwen_: Ok, I'm a day early, today. My reason is because tomorrow, I'm going out with friends, and I'm leaving early and coming home late. Since we're not going anywhere with internet access, and I'm not currently busy, I might as well post now.

Also, I forgot to mention something about "The Ultimate Fairytale" series. Each story is loosely based on an original fairytale. LOOSELY. There will be some differences. Hopefully to make it a little better.

And no, I'm not telling who Yama-chan and Ari-kun's parents or grandfather are. (sticks tongue out) Or at least, not yet. Don't worry, you'll figure it out pretty quick.

* * *

-Chapter Two: Looking Back-

While they walked, Hinata linked arms with both Michiko and Neji, her two oldest friends. The village market was only a fifteen-minute walk away, but throughout their journey, all three of them tried to look in all directions at once, wary of an enemy.

"Do you remember the first time Asuma allowed us to walk this way alone?" Hinata asked, smiling a little, "And, by alone, I really mean all three of us together, like right now?"

"We were terrified of everything," Neji smirked, "It was summertime, and when some bird flew out of the grass, _you_ screamed," he reached over to point at Michiko, then looked at Hinata, "And _you_ almost ran back home."

"I remember that," Michiko laughed, "But we couldn't help it. The whole time that we were getting baskets and things for our food, Kakashi would tell all the goblin, imp, and dragon horror stories that he could think of, saying something like, 'and that happened just a week ago on my way to market' after every tale."

"Asuma didn't hear him, of course," Hinata smiled, "If he had, Kakashi would be stuck taking care of the pigs for a week, and you know how he hates that."

"I kept telling you guys those stories weren't real," Neji shook his head pityingly, "But, like usual, you didn't pay any attention."

Michiko raised an eyebrow at Neji, then grinned when he saw that he was looking warily at an area that was shadowed by trees. Then started and turned quickly towards where she had heard rustling on the other side of the road. With all its beauty, magic, mild winters and warm summers, the Faery World could still start an whole, dangerous adventure with simply meeting a talking mouse. Not that any of the teens minded; they _wanted_ an adventure. It was just that the chances of meeting a talking mouse or bloodthirsty troll were about the same.

"Of course we pay attention to you," Michiko teased, "Just...not all the time."

"Well, could you pay attention right now, just for a short while?" Neji asked.

"Um...ok..." Michiko and Hinata shared looks; they recognized that tone of voice, and it usually preceded a lecture.

"...about earlier," Neji said calmly, "Who is this guy you've been seeing, then? Do I know him?"

"Actually-" Hinata started, but Michiko cut in.

"I'm not really seeing him, exactly, he just sort of helps me with shopping," Michiko said quickly, "So, it's no big deal and-"

"Michiko, you interrupted Hinata," Neji said, mock-sternly, "Please continue, little sister."

Michiko gave Hinata a steady stare; Neji and Hinata both knew she didn't want Hinata saying anything. But all three of them were allies. Secrets weren't allowed, not from the only boy, the youngest girl, or the one who wasn't related by blood. It had been like that for as long as they could remember.

"Ano...actually, you _have_ met him," Hinata admitted, "He moved into the village recently. Do you remember when we were in the new bakery, and the woman there introduced us to her son?"

"The trenchcoat guy?!" Neji exclaimed, staring at Michiko, non-plussed, "What...what was his name...Shino?!"

"Why do you have to react like that?" Michiko complained, looking hurt, "You don't know him!"

"You've got some taste," Neji scoffed, "He looks like one of those rogue, outlaw guys that we hear about, raiding villages."

"He's not like that!" Michiko protested, "He's a really sweet guy!"

Michiko looked pleadingly at Hinata for support, then groaned when Hinata hesitated.

"You've never seen an outlaw before, Neji, so you can't say that. And Shino is...polite," Hinata nodded unsurely; she could see Shino as a friend, but didn't understand Michiko's affection for the tall newcomer.

"Well...polite is good," Neji gave, seeing that Michiko was close to tears; she was always overly emotional.

Michiko opened her mouth to speak on Shino's behalf, but all three turned quickly to stare towards a dark tree; they thought they heard a growl.

"Why did Kakashi have to tell us all those stories?" Michiko whined, walking faster.

"Not to scare you guys, but is something scaly hiding in the shadows, there?" Hinata asked, pointing.

"I think I see the village's cobblestoned road," Neji announced, also stepping up his pace.

"I'll race you!" Hinata said quickly.

"Gah! Something moved!" Michiko yelped.

"Run!" Neji exclaimed, and with that, he led his friends on a full-tilt run to the market.

()

"I win," Neji panted, having arrived first in the village market, before standing up straight and smoothing his hair to look normal again, "Is everyone ok?"

"I think so," Hinata nodded, just glad they were in the safety of a village.

As soon as she recovered her breath and dignity, Michiko removed her list from her pocket to read it over again. Hinata glanced around the market; various stalls were arranged in the circular space, and small shops outlined the centre of the village. It was a pretty place, exactly like it should be in a storybook...but it did not feel as if Hinata belonged in it, nor did any of the farm inhabitants; the farm was definitely their only home.

"So, we need cinna...hey!" Michiko narrowed her eyes at a boy who had just bumped her, "Rude much?"

The small boy stopped a few feet away from the friends, then stuck out his tongue impishly and waved a paper in the air. Stunned for a moment, then realizing what was happening, all three teenagers looked at the hand that Michiko had been holding her shopping list in. Needless to say, it was empty.

"...HEY!" Michiko yelled, running after the kid, "Give me that back!"

The boy called a taunt at Michiko, and when they heard it, Hinata clapped a hand over her mouth while Neji and Michiko stopped to cover the ears of the nearest children.

"Who taught you that?" Hinata asked, aghast.

The boy started to yell another crude comment, but someone stepped out of the shadows and put a hand on the boy's shoulder, startling him. The boy looked up, and upon seeing who it was, he paled visibly.

"I...I was only kidding," the eight-year-old stammered, trying to get onto the taller person's good side.

"That's what you said about screaming at the blacksmith, the potter, the tailor, and my mother," the teenager reminded, not releasing his grip on the boy's shoulder.

The two males stared at each other for a minute, one with fear, the other with no expression visible due to a high collar and dark sunglasses. Finally, the boy backed down and walked up to Michiko, holding out the list. He mumbled a barely coherent apology, then, after shoving the paper into Michiko's hands, he ran off to disappear into the village, not looking back.

"Cute kid," Michiko observed, while Neji and Hinata caught up to her, then smiled at her unexpected help, "Thank you, Shino."

"You're welcome," Shino said with a slight shrug, then nodded his greeting, "Michiko, Hinata, and...Neji, I believe it was?"

"That's right," Neji nodded, suspicious now that he knew he had come across the boy Michiko was so interested with, "You're looking well."

"The farm is running smoothly, I trust," Shino said, in the same polite tones.

_I don't like this,_ Michiko thought, looking at Hinata.

_I sense a conflict...and too much testosterone,_ Hinata thought, returning the concerned look with a somewhat bemused one, _Probably from running so much and rescuing a damsel in distress...boys are stupid._

"Well, we need food," Michiko said too loudly, handing Hinata half of the list and dragging Shino by the arm to the nearest stall, "C'mon, let's go!"

"Neji, let's go this way," Hinata urged, tugging on her reluctant brother's elbow, "We have our own list to complete."

Hinata looked up at Neji, who was still watching Shino with narrowed eyes, then sighed. He really was just a little bit overprotective.

()

Meanwhile, Tenten walked on her own, away from the farm and in the forest that marked the end of their farmland, and the beginning of wild country. Juggling her water canteen and short stick playfully, she allowed herself a smile, letting her annoyance towards her friends' teasing to fizzle away. They had been poking fun about her and Neji for a long time; they had started maybe half a year after she and her best friend had joined their awkward family.

When Tenten and Pooriin had arrived at the farm, it had taken about a week for the teens to get accustomed to each other. Neji preferred people to approach him in order to meet him, and Hinata and Michiko, after years of being rejected by the village, had learned to be shy around other people. Tenten, herself, preferred to walk alone. Pooriin was the one who had managed to bring both groups together, with smiles, jokes, and a little help from Asuma and Kakashi. Hinata had been the first to open up to the newcomers, and wherever Hinata went, Michiko followed suit.

Then there was the problem of getting to know the men. At the orphanage that Tenten and Pooriin came from, the only children there were girls, and even the staff were women. Both newcomers balked at the task of making friends with Neji and Asuma; Kakashi and Pooriin had already established an instant camaraderie, and he acted more as a big brother than a guardian, anyway. Tenten eventually grew fond of Asuma, however; Kakashi annoyed her, most of the time, considering how often he shirked responsibility, and down-to-earth Asuma was a father figure that she could always look up to.

The only one that she had trouble trusting, to this day, was Neji. He was a boy, he was Hinata and Michiko's hero, and while Hinata's pale eyes revealed to Tenten what she was feeling, Neji's eyes seemed to be searching Tenten, reading her thoughts and tearing her apart.

And he never argued or made a fuss, Tenten soon found out after arriving. No matter what she said, or what she asked him to do, he would nod, maybe smile a little, and ignore the insult or mumble his trademark, "As you wish," before doing the task. Tenten had always had a short temper, and Neji's simple obedience was downright infuriating! In Tenten's mind, she didn't see a calm, collected gentleman; he was being a complete and utter wimp!

Another thing that drove her crazy, was how protective Neji could be. He was constantly keeping tabs on Hinata and Michiko, checking on them while they did their chores, or going out of his way to walk with them during errands, whenever his work around the farm was done. He was even the first one to stop teasing, if things started to go too far. Honestly, he could be sickening.

Tenten threw her now-empty canteen in disgust while she stomped through the woods, poking criticism at Neji in her mind. Then she realized what she had done, and sighed before starting to look for it; it was a good canteen, and she hoped she hadn't lost it. It was Neji's fault, of course.

...But then again...

Tenten chuckled a little, while she pushed aside low branches, looking for her canteen. She had to admit that she liked how hard he worked, in everything he did; whether it was carrying out one of her stupid orders, or one of his daily chores, he always did his best, until it was finished. Asuma actually relied more on Neji than Kakashi to get things done; he really was a dependable guy. In fact, Tenten was glad Neji would always be around the farm, helping out. She always felt good, seeing his face every day, knowing that they would always...

_Wait, what am I thinking?_ Tenten thought, shaking her head, _Who cares if he's always around? He can leave whenever he wants. I don't like him!_

Tenten nodded to herself resolutely, glad she and herself understood each other, then brightened visibly when she saw her canteen on the ground, just a few feet away.

_I need that,_ Tenten thought, creeping a few steps forward, looking up into the distance to check her surroundings.

At first, nothing clicked, and then she did a double take, crouching low and looking forward again. In the distance...Tenten squinted her eyes to see better, and when she was sure, her eyes widened and she took an involuntary step back, forgetting about her canteen. Unfortunately, in doing so, she stepped on a twig, snapping it and gathering attention to her.

_Crap!_

Without another thought, Tenten turned around and started running, not daring to look back.

* * *

_Esperwen_: Well, that wasn't so bad of a chapter. The cliffhanger ending wasn't that bad (I mean, no, Tenten _obviously_ dies in the next chapter. It's _only_ her story; we don't need her...note the sarcasm). And it hasn't gotten ridiculously fluffy. ...Not that Tenten would have very many ridiculously fluffy moments. She's a bit of a tomboy. ...Don't worry, fluff will come. Eventually. Give it a few chapters. And no, you didn't get to see Yama or Ari. Remember, Yama-chan wanted a story that just kept talking and talking...

Please review! There will be prizes!


	3. Guardians

-Chapter Three: Guardians-

"We just need a few onions, and we're done," Neji said, crossing off another item on their shopping list, "...hurry up!"

"Neji-nii-chan, there's no hurry," Hinata said soothingly, taking her time as she moved towards a nearby vegetable stall.

Neji glared at Hinata, but she pretended not to see it.

"I doubt that Michiko needs you to check on her," Hinata said, examining the crops on display.

"I don't trust that Shino," Neji said firmly, looking across the square to where the young couple was, near the bakery, "Look, he's luring her to his home!"

Hinata smiled, shaking her head silently. Now Neji was just being silly. She held out an onion to her brother in an attempt to change the subject.

"How many do you think we nee-" Hinata started, but a frightened voice interrupted her.

"WATCH OUT!" a familiar voice screamed, coming from the same direction that the three friends' farm was in.

"Was that...?" Hinata wondered, looking towards the woods that bordered both their farmland and the village.

"It's Tenten!" Michiko exclaimed, hurrying to meet their friend halfway.

"Goblins!" Tenten yelled, waving her arms, "Everybody hide!"

"Wha-" Neji started, then froze when what was following Tenten exited the woods and came into view.

Four goblins, in shades of dark brown or green, were chasing after Tenten and weilding clubs. A fifth goblin was in the air, riding some kind of winged, amber-scaled creature. And none of them looked friendly.

Michiko's eyes widened when she saw, and her legs stalled for a moment, but then she continued running forward to reach Tenten. Or at least, she tried to; Shino pulled her by the back of her shirt and dragged her out of harm's way.

"Don't even think about it," Shino said solemnly, pulling her down the street.

"No! Let me go!" Michiko yelled, her eyes starting to tear up and trying to land a good hit on Shino, "That's my friend, there!"

"Neji, what do we...Neji?" Hinata looked around confusedly; her brother had disappeared from her side. Finally, she sighted him running towards Tenten.

_What do I do, what do I do?_ Hinata thought feverishly, looking around for an answer.

"Neji?" Tenten blinked when she realized that Neji was running towards her, then got angry, "What're you doing?! You're supposed to do the sane thing and hide!"

"Get down!" Neji yelled, tackling Tenten; looking over his shoulder, Tenten realized that she had almost been hit by an arrow.

"Hey, what's doing that?" Tenten wondered, looking up, "I didn't see an archer!"

"Doesn't matter; we're supposed to be doing the sane thing and hiding, right?" Neji asked, dragging Tenten up by the hand and helping her run, "Hurry up!"

Tenten heard a growl, and, after glancing backwards, saw that one of the goblins had caught up to them. Quickly, she body-slammed Neji so that they both moved to the side, just as the goblin swung his wooden club. The weapon thudded harmlessly into the ground, but both Neji and Tenten could feel vibrations from the force the club had dealt.

"Great," Tenten groaned as she got up, when a second goblin came around the other side, keeping her and Neji surrounded by enemies, "Now what?"

"I suggest picking up a rock, or use that stick you're always waving around, and we try to fight our way out of here," Neji said irritably; like most people, he didn't like life and death situations.

"Think they're gonna kill us, or just take us hostage?" Tenten asked in a low voice, holding that stick in question with both hands, and sizing up her opponent, _I am not afraid. I am not afraid..._

"I would either attack or choose death, if I were you," a man in a long, grey coat advised, arriving on the scene, "Some goblins eat people."

"...who're you?" Tenten blinked, looking at the speaker, who she noticed was older than Asuma and Kakashi, then yelped when the goblin in front of her took that chance to charge.

Closing her eyes, she screamed a battle cry and randomly started beating in front of her with her stick. She didn't hit anything, but she heard the goblin wail, and then a thud; when she opened her eyes, the goblin was dead. She stared first at the corpse, then at her stick, then realized that Shino was standing nearby, already started on another monster.

"Oh...Hey, you're the guy Michiko's been seeing, right?"

"Watch it!" Neji exclaimed, pulling Tenten out of the harmful way of another arrow, "Look up there," he added, pointing up, "...Hey, you knew she was seeing someone, too?"

"Oh...the guy on the flying thing has a bow and arrows," Tenten realized, looking up, then answered, "We're girls. We talk."

"Does Pooriin know, too?"

"Yup."

_Hinata and Michiko broke our code!_ Neji thought incredulously, thinking about the pact they had made when they were seven, _We're supposed to be allies!_

Just as Tenten had just observed, the amber-hued, scaly creature was still in the sky and it's goblin rider was the cause of all the renegade arrows. Then Tenten and Neji examined their rescuers; Shino had a broadsword with a red blade that he held with two hands, and the man that neither of them could recognize had two, blue-bladed short swords. Looking between the two people who were doing the real fighting, Neji and Tenten realised that there was a similarity between Shino and the older man; perhaps they were related.

"Um...who are you?" Tenten asked, waving to the stranger.

"My apologies, my name is Shibi. ...This last one is going to be a problem," he mused, cutting down the fourth goblin, "Do either of you have a slingshot or bow and arrows of any sort?"

_Let me just check my pockets,_ Tenten thought sarcastically, "We live on a farm. We milk cows and raise pigs and chickens."

"Monster-slaying is a little out of our league," Neji said, putting it lightly.

"A simple 'no' would suffice," Shibi said calmly, still eyeing the last goblin.

"Michiko tells me that Tenten has a good eye for aim," Shino said, leaning slightly against his sword and looking at the girl in question, "Is that true?"

"Excuse me," Shibi murmured, and stood between the teens and enemy, deflecting any more arrows with his swords.

"Sure..." Tenten tried not to gape at the swordsman, "Why?"

"Think you could throw that stick there like a javelin?" Shino suggested, nodding to Tenten's weapon of choice, "Try to knock the goblin down, and my father will finish the job."

"Oh. Good idea," Tenten agreed, then looked up at the goblin.

He seemed high...but maybe not as high as their barn's loft; Tenten had thrown a lot of things up there, both for farm chores or simple boredom. And this was her stick; she was already familiar with its balance. She shaded her eyes, gauging the distance a little longer, then quickly, barely hesitating, she took a hopping step towards the goblin, and threw the stick as best she could, hoping that it would land on target.

It did; the stick hit the goblin right in its forehead, and had it been a real spear or javelin, the goblin would have died where it was. Instead, he simply was thrown off-balance, and fell backwards from the creature he was riding. He survived the fall, but not Shibi.

"Ew..."

Tenten and Neji winced, realizing goblins had green blood for the first time.

"Good job," Shino nodded, and shaded his eyes with his hands to watch what the final enemy planned to do.

"What is that?" Neji asked, also looking at the monster in the air for a reaction.

"A lesser dragon, also known as a drakel, drake, or something to that effect," Shibi answered, wiping his two blades with a cloth to clean them, "Smaller and weaker than an average dragon, but still a threat during an attack. Assuming, of course, that it attacks; normally, lesser dragons keep to themselves and are rather peaceful. Something like birds with a more dubious appearance."

The lesser dragon in question roared a few times, hovering in the air, as if communicating something. After a moment, it seemed to nod at the four humans, touched a claw to its ear, then turned where it was and glided away, back to wherever it came from.

"Is it getting help?" Neji asked, suddenly concerned.

"No," Shibi answered, shaking his head and sheathing his swords, "It is not roaring for attention, and it did touched its ear. If it wanted its reinforcements to arrive, it would make as much noise as possible to show its position. And when dragons touch their ears, it's a sign of peace. The goblins may have even enslaved it, rather than been allied to it."

"...'Touching its ear'? What are you, some kind of dragon slayer?" Tenten asked skeptically, "How would you know?"

"Well, we're Guardians," Shino answered calmly, "Do you recognize the title?"

Tenten and Neji shook their heads mutely, so Shino continued.

"We are also known as Champions or Protectors. It's our job to protect a certain area, be it for or from legendary beasts, such as ones you just saw."

Both farmhands stared at Shino and Shibi, slowly absorbing the fact that the men in front of them were not simple villagers, but mythical creature slayers. How many other villagers were something more than the craftsmen that they seemed to be? Tenten was still having trouble believing Shino and Shibi were so...heroic.

"Wait, but you've been here for months, and the village never talks about you," the girl said, rubbing her forehead, "They don't even treat you any different. Don't the villagers know that you're, what was that word...Guardians?"

"My wife, yes, but the others, no," Shibi answered, shaking his head, "There are two spells all Guardians know, which keeps normal people from noticing or remembering certain events."

"So they've forgotten about the goblins and everything already?" Tenten asked, confused.

"Not quite. My son and I cast the first spell over every member of the village when we first arrived, even the people on your farm," Shibi explained, cleaning and polishing his swords while he spoke, "Then, if there is anything that we don't want them to see, we put the second spell on that. For example, we cast the spell over this entire hill."

"That sounds difficult," Tenten said, looking skeptical again, "This is a big hill."

"It is. My mother is one holding the spell in place, actually," Shino said, then continued his father's explanation, "Moving on, the two spells combined keep the villagers from looking at this hill. Or, if they do happen to glance at it, the fact that we're standing here doesn't register in their minds, and they don't remember it. The first spell captures the person's memory, while the second spell covers what needs to be hidden."

"But you can undo the spells, right?" Tenten asked, "I mean...they have to be able to see this hill again. And you said you cast the first spell on me and Neji, but we can see you pretty good."

"The second spell is easy," Shibi nodded, putting away his two swords, "It needs to be consciously held in place in order to be effective, and once the spell is let go, it stops working. For example, my son and I put spells on our weapons; we can freely carry our weapons at any time, if we wish, but if our concentration breaks, such as if we are distracted or fall asleep, then the villagers can see our swords."

"So when Shino's mom lets go of the spell...the villagers can notice the hill again," Tenten thought out loud, starting to understand how the spells worked.

"Exactly," Shino confirmed, he and his father nodding.

"...'Guardians'...such careers actually exist?" Neji asked, when he finally accepted this new information, carefully concealing eagerness.

"Yes," Shibi nodded, "But we would prefer that you both refrain from telling others of this; we would rather fight for necessity, instead of obligation, and if armies heard about us, no doubt we would be forced to join their ranks."

"...Oh. Uh, yeah," Tenten nodded quickly, eager to please.

"We understand," Neji agreed, then asked Shino, "Did Michiko and Hinata know about this?"

"Actually...yes," Shino admitted, looking towards the village, instead of Neji, "But I told them to keep it secret, and I guess they kept their word."

"They're keeping secrets from me?!" Tenten exclaimed, then went to find her stick, "Oh, they're gonna pay."

She stomped away and retrieved the stick, stepping gingerly around the dead goblin there, but when she came back, she had a curious look on her face.

"One more thing," Tenten said, pointing the stick at Shibi, "You said that the first spell was cast on me and my friends. But we can see you. What happened?"

"...I do not know," Shibi answered, raising his eyebrows and making a small shrug, "That spell can only be removed by the one that set it, and I never released any of you from it."

Tenten and Neji exchanged surprised looks, and the latter opened his mouth to ask more questions, but Shibi was done teaching for the day.

"Come along," the Guardian said, moving towards the village, "We need to get off the hill. The villagers saw the goblins before we put the second spell up; they know there was almost a goblin attack, and two swordsmen saved the two of you. But the second spell is keeping them from recognizing us; if we leave the hill before the spell is removed, then they will never know it was my son and I who fought."

()

It was late afternoon, and since all their groceries were collected, they were all ready to return to the farm. Neji carried two baskets, while Hinata and Michiko carried the other two, and Tenten acted as their bodyguard.

"...but we shouldn't tell Pooriin," Tenten said, continuing their discussion of what had happened earlier, "She talks to everybody, not that I'm saying that against her, but she might let Shino and Shibi's secret slip by accident."

"That's fair," Michiko nodded, then shook her head, "Wait...not really."

"Unfortunately, it's true," Hinata sighed, "She might tell too many people about the Guardians in the village, and they want things kept secret. ...It's not like we're betraying her; Kakashi and Asuma won't know about Shibi and Shino being Guardians, and we owe them everything."

Tenten looked at Neji, expecting him to make some kind of comment, but he didn't. While he walked, he stared off into the distance, lost in thought; he had been like that ever since the goblin attack. Tenten didn't think it was shock or fear; he just seemed...thoughtful.

"What should we tell them?" Michiko asked, "We can't hide something important like a goblin attack; they're definitely going to hear about it the next time they go into the village."

()

Once they returned to the farmhouse, Asuma greeted them at the front door, as did Pooriin. Both noticed Neji's absent-minded behavior, and while Michiko and Hinata helped Neji take all the baskets of food to their kitchen, Asuma pulled Tenten and Pooriin to the side.

"How was your trip? And what's wrong with Neji?" Asuma asked, raising his eyebrows questioningly, but Tenten only shrugged.

"The village almost had a goblin raid, but some Guardians that were in the village helped them out," Tenten said, changing the truth to what she and her friends had agreed to on the way home, "Nobody got hurt, but Neji's been quiet ever since."

"It was really scary, though; Tenten and Neji were _this_ close to the goblins," Michiko called from the kitchen, emphasizing 'this' by showing her index finger and thumb very close together.

Asuma threw Tenten a concerned look, and Tenten gave Michiko a baleful one. The last thing Tenten needed was for Asuma to get all fatherly and worried about her.

"I'm _fine_," Tenten assured, a note of annoyance in her voice, "And so is Neji, see?"

"Whoa, you saw goblins?! And what's a Guardian?" Pooriin asked avidly, "I've never heard of that!"

"Um..." Hinata avoided Pooriin's eyes while she walked out of the kitchen, "They defend the areas they're in from evil beasts or curses...you know...heroic things."

"That's so _cool_!" Pooriin exclaimed, "Aw, I wish _I'd _been there...!"

"They're called 'Champions' or 'Errant Knights' too, right?" Kakashi asked, coming out of the kitchen with a half-eaten apple in one hand.

"Well, I didn't hear that last title, but..." Michiko blinked, following Kakashi, then looked at him incredulously, "Hey, how do _you_ know?"

"When Kakashi and I were younger," Asuma explained, "One such Champion passed through the village. He was just travelling through, and his son, who was in training, travelled with him."

"Neji, Hinata, it's story-time," Michiko urged, pulling her friends toward their unofficial guardians by the hand, "They're going to tell us about their past and sound like old men."

"I'm still young," Kakashi growled good-naturedly, "This hair isn't silver because of age!"

"Moving on," Asuma rolled his eyes, "Those two Champions. I can't remember the man very well, but the son hung around us often, since we wouldn't leave him alone. I think he was 24, while we were, what...14? Something like that. We thought he was the coolest guy ever, remember, Kakashi?"

"Yeah, he taught us a little bit of swordplay," Kakashi grinned, leaning against a nearby wall, "He was our hero; that guy was so young, but he already had a wife and kid, waiting for him to finish his training and come home. During the month he stayed, he went with us to hunt and we followed him everywhere. When he left..." Kakashi chuckled softly, "Do you remember that vow we made to each other?"

"Oh, that," Asuma laughed, then explained to the teenagers, "That Champion-in-training gave us directions for a place where we could find proper weapons and start our own training as Champions. The Guardian's Citadel, I think it was called. But the rules were that you had to be at least eighteen to start, unless you had obvious potential or someone to refer you to whoever organizes the whole 'Guardianship' thing. Ugh, we couldn't wait for four years to pass!"

"But we never got the chance to sign up," Kakashi sighed, thinking of his postponed dream, "We were sixteen when Kid One and Kid Two showed up."

"My name is Hinata," she said bluntly.

"Am I Kid Three?" Michiko asked hopefully.

"How come you never told me this?" Neji asked, mildly annoyed, _More secrets..._

"Your eighteenth birthday's in a month," Kakashi answered, "We were going to tell you then, since you would be old enough to make your choice. And Michiko, you were kind of skinny when you arrived, so you were Kid Two-and-a-Half."

"Great..." Michiko smiled sarcastically.

"Why, Neji?" Asuma asked, "Are you interested in becoming a Guardian?"

"Well...Yes," Neji admitted, with a curt nod, "I'm very interested."

"Then if you want to go, we're all for it," Kakashi encouraged quickly, "Follow you dreams, and all that. We'll support you."

"...You just want him to leave home," Asuma corrected, "One less person to work to take care of."

"You caught me," Kakashi sighed, putting his hands up.

"Hey, Kakashi?" Pooriin tugged on his elbow and asked curiously, "What was that man's name? The one who was in training?"

"Him?" Kakashi barely thought a moment, "I'll never forget; it was Shibi," he said, then noticed the looks the teenagers shared, "...What are you four hiding?"

* * *

_Esperwen_: And another chapter bites the dust. And I even posted on time...you should be proud of me. If you're a little confused by the content, tell me how so I can fix it; I think I just created my own fantasy world...heh. And yes, if you do the math, Shibi was about 18 years old when he got married and had Shino. And yet Kakashi and Asuma are 26 and still single. FEEL THE PRESSURE, NINJAS! ...lol.

Kindly read and review. They make me happy.


	4. The Perfect Farewell

_Esperwen_: Sorry, everyone, for posting a day late! It's just that last Friday we got a Nintendo Wii (OMG!!), and I was so excited to play Super Smash Brothers Brawl (which is weird, because I didn't even want to buy the game...), that I forgot yesterday... Again, I am sorry. The White, Electronic Box of Wonder (the Wii) also apologizes. And soon we'll get the Internet Channel on the Wii, and then maybe I can just post from there! ...Yes, I am getting steadily nerdier as the days go by...

Btw, thank you to people who review! Three reviews make me happy...five made me ridiculously cheerful! And there were 45 hits on the third chapter, which means that around 40 people are reading this fic...which is AWESOME! ...Ok, I shall stop blathering and let you read this late chapter. Here's chapter 4!

* * *

-Chapter Four: The Perfect Farewell-

Tenten placed the last fork on its place in the kitchen's drawer, and sighed. Pooriin, who was drying dishes, and Hinata, who had been washing, looked at her questioningly. It had been a month after the goblin attack.

"You ok?" Pooriin asked, putting a damp hand on Tenten's arm.

Tenten looked at her friend, then turned her gaze pointedly outside. Looking through the window, Hinata and Pooriin saw Neji and Shibi practicing various martial arts techniques in the nearby field, while Asuma, Kakashi, Michiko and Shino watched. When Neji had learned about Guardians from the month before, he had gone to Shibi for an assessment to see if he had any real potential as a fighter. Shibi had seen that Neji had talent, especially with fighting only with his hands, and ever since then, Neji got up early to finish farm chores before going to train with Shibi and Shino. That day was the noon of Neji's eighteenth birthday, and he was going through one final exercise with Shibi before departing on his journey east, alone.

After obtaining weapons that the Guardianship decided were best for him, Shibi said Neji would either be assigned an experienced Guardian to train him, or he would learn alone; either way, he would need to travel across countries to become accustomed to different cultures, and learn about and defeat as many monsters and evils as he could for experience, until he was called back to the Guardian's Citadel. Then he would need to pass a final trial before becoming a true Guardian. After that he would be given a choice of areas to live in and protect; either permanently or for at least a year, it was his choice. If he wanted a different area, then he could return to the Citadel after a year and either be assigned a new place, or request permission to be a wandering Guardian.

Hinata shared a sad look with Tenten, and Pooriin gave the older girl a comforting hug. For the whole month, Tenten had still ordered Neji around, and Neji still met Tenten's bossing by replying 'as you wish' with a slight bow, but the scorn in Tenten's voice was gone.

"It's just...You know..." Tenten whispered, blinking suspiciously bright eyes but still managing to keep her voice steady.

"No, no-no, don't cry," Pooriin begged, hugging her friend tighter, "It'll be ok!"

"He said he would write," Hinata added quickly, "And that he would visit every chance he got."

"I know he'll be away a lot," Pooriin said gently, "But he's not going to be away forev-"

"I know!" Tenten exclaimed, her temper flaring up defensively as she pulled away from Pooriin, "I know, all right?! Just...leave me alone!"

Tenten ran out of the kitchen and outside, slamming the door behind her. At a distance, Neji noticed her run across the field, and saw Hinata and Pooriin watching after her from the farmhouse's doorway.

_Is she all right?_ Neji thought, concerned.

"Concentrate, Neji."

Neji looked back at Shibi, startled, then smoothed his face and got back into his fighting stance, bending his knees and hold his hands out in front of him, one hand further out than the other. Ten more minutes, and their session would be over; he could check on Tenten soon.

()

"...I think you will do fine," Shibi nodded, after he and Neji finished with their exercise, "The Master Guardians will almost certainly accept you."

"They had better. We don't want you back," Kakashi said jokingly, leaning against a nearby fence beside Asuma, who was also leaning.

"Oh, quiet!" Michiko laughed, sitting on the fence at Kakashi's other side, between her silver-haired guardian and Shino, "Neji, you're doing really great. And of course you can come back here."

"I know," Neji said calmly, then bowed formally to Shibi, "Thank you, Shibi-san. I appreciate your help."

"It's good to see another person applying for Guardianship," Shibi said, looking at Asuma and Kakashi sideways behind his sunglasses, "And carrying that application through, rather than stopping halfway."

"Hey, we _wanted_ to go!" Kakashi protested, "But then we had kids!"

"Did you have to make that sound so awkward?" Michiko sighed, but with a small laugh.

"Shut up, or you're grounded for a month."

"Well, I'm going inside to get my things," Neji said, pretending he didn't hear Kakashi and Michiko speaking, "And then I'll start walking to the Citadel."

"Do you need any help?" Michiko asked, starting to get off the fence.

"No, it's fine," Neji said, throwing a slight smile over his shoulder, "Expect me back in two months!"

All five people watched Neji walk back to the farmhouse for a moment, then Michiko suddenly raised a hand.

"Could I ask you something?" Michiko requested, then continued when Shibi nodded, "Are there only male Guardians? Or are females allowed to apply, too?"

"They are, but it's very rare if they do," Shibi answered, "The life isn't very glamorous, and it's hard work; gruesome even. Not many maidens enjoy bloodying their hands," Shibi looked back to check on Neji, then said in low tone, "Do not be surprised if Neji comes back to stay. If he chooses, after all, to not become a Guardian, do not think less of him. Goblins and lesser dragons are not even close to being even the average beast that a Guardian must expect to come against."

"You don't think he can do it?" Kakashi asked, not quite understanding.

"No, I think he has excellent talent," Shibi said, shaking his head, "However...the Guardian's life is not for everyone. One needs a personality that can either shake off the horror, or crush it down. In time, Neji may be able to gain something to that effect, but as young as he is now...I'm not so sure."

"But you're encouraging him anyway?" Asuma asked, concerned, "Are we that strapped for new Guardians, now?"

"If he chooses to persevere through the first horrors, then he will be great," Shibi said bluntly, "But if he chooses to come back here, that is understandable. He can protect his home, family and friends unofficially, like thousands of other people do, or he can postpone the training for his final trial until he feels ready to try again."

"Do a lot of people do that?" Michiko asked, "Stop travelling, then try again some other time, I mean."

"...No," Shibi admitted, "Not unless they stop their journey because they feel they are too young. If they stop their training because of the horrors they face, they never resume their task."

Michiko heard a door slam shut and looked back towards the farmhouse. Neji was walking across the field, both towards the road he meant to take, and where Tenten had run off to. The dark-haired girl waved her arm high over her head, and when Neji saw it, he waved back. They had all said their goodbyes the night before, so that there would be very little fuss when Shino and Shibi were around. Even then, Michiko had to bite a trembling lip; that was her older brother and one of her best friends, leaving.

"...Um...I'm...going to go for a walk," Michiko said shortly, and she hurried away towards the forest with her head down; Asuma and Kakashi shared bemused looks, knowing that Michiko was about to cry _again_.

"Um...Shino?" Asuma pointed at Michiko, "Could you follow her? Ever since that goblin incident, I don't trust those woods."

"All right," Shino nodded, and he jogged to catch up to Michiko.

"...So, Shibi, what do you think of them as a couple?" Kakashi said, in a salesperson tone, once the young couple was out of hearing range, "Michiko's pretty, caring, works great around the house, and, you know, I trust Shino will grow up to be a good Guardian to take care of her. What say they get married next year when Michiko turns eighteen?"

Shibi started at Kakashi expressionlessly, until the younger man quailed a little. Clearly Shibi did not share Kakashi's zeal in getting rid of children.

"I think I'll head home now," Shibi said, turning on his heel to walk away, "Make sure Shino comes home before it becomes too dark."

"We'll be seeing you, Shibi," Asuma called, then glared at Kakashi, "I know you're eager to go into training, but stop trying to sell Michiko!"

"She's the only one who's dating someone that doesn't live with us!" Kakashi protested.

"Tenten and Neji aren't even dating," Asuma pointed out.

"Exactly my point! We should seal a deal before they decide Michiko's too short, or her hair's too long, or something."

"...I have no idea where you're going with this, anymore. Come on, admit you're glad we took in those kids."

"They're so expensive! More than half of what the farm makes goes into their food. They're eating our salary!"

"You're the one that always wants new equipment. Michiko spends more time taking care of the animals during one day than eating in a month, Neji helped me work around the farm while you took naps, Tenten does all the clothes mending, Hinata is an awesome cook, and Pooriin is the one that cleans the house more thoroughly and often than you or me."

"...You're right. Pooriin would make a better wife."

"I thought Pooriin was your favourite! And we're not even supposed to _have_ favourites! I can't believe you!"

() (A/N: ...lol.)

Tenten had been sitting on a rock by the roadside, waiting; she stood up when Neji reached her.

"I'm going to walk with you until the edge of our property," Tenten announced, striding beside him.

"As you wish," Neji shrugged, again with that bow.

_That stupid saying..._ Tenten thought, annoyed, then shook the thought off; now wasn't the time for bickering.

They walked in silence, the whole way. Tenten had been planning what to say, but now she felt too foolish to speak. She really _had_ been mean to Neji ever since she had arrived at the farm...ever since she had forced her and Pooriin's way in, anyway. But Neji had been patient the whole time; two years of turning a blind eye to bossing and rudeness was certainly something to mention. Especially since he hadn't deserved it. She ought to apologize, or say something funny, or just spend their last few minutes with some kind of talk...but that was Hinata, Michiko, or Pooriin's style. Tenten used actions or deeds; neither were particularly applicable right then, much to her chagrin.

In the month that Neji was preparing to leave, when Tenten realized that he wasn't always going to be around, she had to admit one other thing to herself: she _did_ like Neji. And when she told Pooriin, just a couple weeks before, Tenten learned that apparently it hadn't been meaningless teasing before; everyone had actually believed what they accused her of being. So apparently everyone but her knew how much she cared about the quiet farmboy.

Tenten wanted to tell Neji. She wanted her feelings to be made known. And this might be her last chance, before he left and fell in love with some other girl. ...But Tenten spoke with actions, not words.

Finally, they arrived at the edge of Asuma and Kakashi's property. Neji and Tenten faced each other, but looking down and avoiding eye contact, unable to help but feel awkward.

"...Say it," Neji said softly, closing his eyes and finally forcing himself to speak.

"I should say...what?" Tenten asked, caught offguard.

"You know what I mean," Neji said calmly, taking a deep breath before looking her straight in the eye, "And I know, no matter how much you may deny it later, you'll mean it now."

"That...I..." Tenten stuttered, _Shoot, does he know?_, "You mean...I l-"

"You'll miss me," Neji finished, not bothering to hide a smirk.

"...Yes. ...Yes! Of _course _I'll miss you!" Tenten breathed, laughing and wishing she wasn't blushing, "I'll miss you, Neji. Really. And...And I..." Tenten took a deep breath, "I hope...I hope that you'll forgive how mean I've been, these past two years."

"Of course," Neji nodded serenely, but privately very glad she apologized for harassing him for so long.

"Great!" Tenten grinned, and shocked both herself and Neji by hugging him without a second thought, "Thanks."

Neji patted her head awkwardly for a moment; even Hinata didn't hug him, and Pooriin only did it to annoy him; but then he softened and put his arms around Tenten. This was what he had wanted before he left, after all; the perfect farewell.

...Well..._almost _perfect.

"And I love you too," Neji whispered, "I know that's what you meant to say."

Tenten pulled back a little, and looked up at him partly embarrassed, but also questioningly.

"But all that time...why didn't you say anything?" Tenten asked, "I mean...all I've ever done was treat you badly, and all you ever said was 'as you wish', and...and why _did_ you say that, anyway?"

"Think of it this way," Neji suggested, with a slight smile, "I think there's more than one way to say 'I love you'. Some say it as often as they can, other people use actions. Some people consider 'as you wish' as a synonym, since people do things for the people they love without question. And still others say it by giving orders; that's called looking for attention."

"...You're teasing me," Tenten grumbled, kicking Neji lightly; she didn't really want to hurt him, and he was still holding her closely, "...You _will_ write back?"

"Every chance I can," Neji promised, holding Tenten against his chest again, "I want to become a Guardian because...I want to be able to take care of all my precious people. Just watching over them and making sure they date the right people isn't enough; it feels like all I can do is give Hinata, Pooriin and Michiko away to other men. And I want to be the one who can take care of you. Will you wait for me, for when I can do that?"

"Of course," Tenten murmured, "So long as you'll have me in the end."

"Of course," Neji nodded, then stepped backwards, separating them, "...It's time for me to go."

"But..." Tenten hesitated, "Ok."

"What is it?" Neji looked at Tenten questioningly.

"N-nothing."

"Something you wanted?"

"No! You go ahead!" Tenten waved her hands as if shooing him, "Go on your adventure."

Neji glanced at the road ahead, then locked eyes with Tenten again and stepped in front of her.

"One more thing," he murmured, both of them closing their eyes.

His mouth pressed against hers, gently, just a taste, for a brief yet sweet moment before he pulled away. Tenten felt her cheeks burning again, and she pushed his chest playfully to get him to step away.

"Ok, _now _you go ahead," Tenten said again, not meeting his eyes, except for a single, bashful glance that made Neji's heart beat a little faster, "Time for your adventure."

"All right," Neji nodded, suddenly wondering if his desire to become a Guardian was really worth going away and leaving Tenten behind for.

Neji tucked a stray wisp of Tenten's hair behind her ear for her, and when their eyes met again, he let his hand linger there, against the side of her face. With a barely noticeable sigh, he smiled, a real one now, instead of a smirk, and began to walk away.

"...Wait!" Tenten blurted, holding a hand out towards him before he had gone three steps; she felt embarassed when he halted and looked back at her, but she had already spoken and stopped him, so there was nothing for it, "Just...one...more?"

Neji breathed a chuckle, and Tenten let herself openly laugh when he spoke, thus making the perfect farewell.

"As you wish."

* * *

_Esperwen:_ YAAY, romantic moment! But, oh no! Now they are separated! What will they do, oh no!

...um...how was it? Was it to awkward sounding? Too out of character? I'm worried I made Tenten seem too girly...but my argument is that she's with the guy she likes, so of _course _she acts a little more feminine. I'm not overly worried about Neji seeming too soft, because I can always argue that this is when he and Tenten are alone, in the middle of nowhere, where no-one will walk in on them to point and yell, "OMIGOSH, like, Neji's SMILING! OMIGOSH, where's my camera?! This is, like, going into my blog!" or something. ...lol, yes, the person might have been a modern-day valley girl.

So, um...yes. Please review. I enjoy spazzing out over reviews and hits. And my selfish reason for reviews, is that if there are lots of reviews, more people will read this. So yes. Make me spazz out, and make other people read "Tenten's Story".


	5. Purple Hair

_Esperwen_: Hello, all! I'm posting late again, because I went out yesterday with friends for the whole day, and didn't get the chance to come in contact with a computer. ...it's weird; I had this whole chapter fixed up so I could post Wednesday night, but apparently I never posted it and didn't realize until today. My short term memory is dying...bleh.

Also, you guys seemed ok with the fluff scene, which is a huge 'yay!', but it looks like people are not to happy with Tenten staying on the farm. ...well, you'll see what happens next. Oo, and about how the other characters seem so 'in the background'...in case you didn't check out my profile yet (hint, hint), I'll explain this series right now. "The Ultimate Fairytale" is a group of fairytale stories that all technically take place at the same time. This one is "Tenten's Story", so it revolves around her. She does talk to other characters, and she does appear in their stories, but if anything she says then is focused on _their_ problem, and is therefore not an important part of _her_ story. This is also why the secondary characters seem...less. They have their problems, and she has hers. Of course Tenten notices their problems (she's not a selfish robot...), but anything she does to help is mentioned in _their_ story. Get it? Confused? It's ok...I've created a monster project for myself, and I'm a little confused myself. ...but I _am_ enjoying it. So...meh.

Ok, enough blathering. On to chapter 5!

* * *

-Chapter Five: Purple Hair-

_That was perfect, _Tenten sighed, hugging herself as she took the road back to the farm, _Absolutely perfect!_

Everything was going to be great; she and Neji had made a few more plans before he truly started his travel. When he became a Guardian-in-Training, just like she knew he would, his first task was to come back to the farm, so that Tenten could join him and they could travel together while he trained. The only reason she didn't leave with him right then and there, was because one: she had no supplies or equipment packed, and two: he made her promise him one more thing.

_I have to protect Hinata and Michiko for him, while he's gone,_ Tenten remembered, nodding slightly to herself, _He never worried about Pooriin, because I was always watching over her, but now he needs me to take care of all three of them. When he joins the Champion's Order, he can ask the the Master Guardians to keep an eye on the farm. Then we can travel together. ...Neji thinks I could become a Guardian myself, but I'm not sure. I want to be able to do whatever I want with my life first. And Shibi said you get assigned an area during your first year; I wouldn't want to be assigned an area that's really far away from Neji's. Maybe I can apply later, and Neji could watch over me...heh, just like old times._

On that thought, Tenten caught sight of the farmhouse in the distance, and she half-smiled. She really loved that farm; after all, it had been a refuge to her for two years. But now, she had the chance to leave it and go on a journey with the boy she loved most in the world. She didn't exactly want to leave, but she couldn't wait for Neji to come back so that they could go and journey the world together.

As Tenten got closer to the farmhouse, something struck her as odd. None of the animals were out, and it was only the late afternoon; much too early for them to be taken in for the night. In fact, even the birds or insects that usually made some kind of sound were silent and nowhere to be seen. It was unnaturally quiet...

_Where are Asuma and Kakashi?_ Tenten thought, getting worried, _They should at least be tending to the horses, or something...but I don't see them!_

At that moment, the farmhouse's door opened, and Pooriin came out, a folded blanket in her arms. Wondering what it was for, Tenten started to call out her friend's name, but the girl only glanced at her before sprinting across the field. Tenten moved her eyes to where Pooriin seemed to be headed, then her jaw dropped and she started running, herself. Asuma and Kakashi had just come out of the forest, being followed by a small, black cloud, or fog. Asuma was carrying someone wearing blue clothes and with long black hair...could it be Michiko? Kakashi was holding a red sword, leaning it against one shoulder...was that Shino's?

_Where's Hinata?_ Tenten thought worriedly, glancing back at the farmhouse, but nobody else came out of the building, _What's become of my promise to Neji?_

As Tenten got even closer, she saw that the black cloud was actually a large swarm of bugs; it wasn't attacking anybody, which was good, but she couldn't understand why it was following the two men. When Pooriin reached Asuma, he stopped carrying Michiko and put her back on her feet; the tan girl was sobbing uncontrollably, wiping her tears on the blanket Pooriin draped around her shoulders, and there was some black cloth tied over her eyes.

"What happened?" Tenten and Pooriin asked in unison.

"What's on your eyes?" Pooriin's added, reaching out to remove it from Michiko's face.

"Is that Shino's? Where is he?" Tenten included, motioning to the broadsword.

"Don't touch it!" Michiko yelled, feeling her blindfold starting to move, and she lashed out at Pooriin, slapping her hand away.

"Whoa! What's your problem?" Pooriin asked, getting upset.

_Michiko hardly ever gets violent,_ Tenten thought, _What happened?_ "Where's Hinata?"

"Just now-" Asuma started, but Kakashi interrupted him.

"Not now," the masked man said, shaking his head slowly, "We don't know what's out here. Let's get inside; we can talk there."

()

The farmhouse held a council in their living room. Asuma sat in one armchair, Kakashi sat in the one at the opposite side, and the three girls shared the large couch between both chairs. Michiko sat, still blindfolded, in the middle of the couch with a glass of water, trying to calm down, and Pooriin and Tenten sat at either side of her. And the mysterious swarm of bugs hovered in the background.

"Where's Hinata?" Tenten asked again, then added when she saw Michiko flinch, "What happened?!"

"She's kidnapped," Michiko whispered, a tear rolling out from under the blindfold, "And I couldn't...I couldn't...!"

"It's not your fault, Michi!" Pooriin said quickly, shaking Michiko's arm by the elbow, then explained to Tenten, in a rush of words, what she had seen, "A purple-haired witch came here while your were gone. She was riding on the head of this giant snake, and you know how Hinata and I were still inside, when you left? After we helped Neji get his things, we went to our room. We were just talking, when the witch pulled Hinata out of the window and kidnapped her! And, and then the snake headed for the forest; the trees somehow moved out of the way so that the witch could pass."

"I saw that the witch had Hinata, so I ran after her, but the snake was too fast," Asuma continued at a moderate pace, when he saw that Pooriin was out of breath, "When it got to the forest, the snake disappeared, and I slowed down; I thought the witch used a transportation spell, or something. But the snake reappeared after a minute or two, so I ran again, wondering what was going on. ...Michiko, are you ok enough to tell us what happened?"

"I think so...It...I..." Michiko took a deep breath, before speaking slowly, "I saw Hinata on the snake's head with the witch. The snake disappeared because I hurt it; I threw a rock at its eye and it vanished. Shino was-" her voice broke, and a few bugs landed on her arm, as if concerned for her, but she managed to continue, "He was with me. He told the witch to leave Hinata with us or fight. The witch got mad at both of us; at Shino for challenging her and at me for hurting her pet. So...she cursed Shino!" she exclaimed, starting to sob again, "She...she turned him into beetles!"

That's_ Shino?!_ Tenten thought incredulously, looking at the swarm that had followed them into the house, _That's...insane!_

"And...and I have to keep my eyes closed for a year and a day, or Shino can never turn back to how he was before," Michiko continued, her voice getting faster and more shrill, "And then if I open my eyes, he'll never have a chance return to being human, and he'll be like this forever, and then the witch took Hinata away _again_! And we should've been able to...should've done...we could've-"

Michiko started breathing in short gasps; her face was turning red. Pooriin and Asuma tried to get her calmed down, but their efforts only seemed to make Michiko's panic attack worse. Finally, Pooriin lost her patience.

"Stop it!" Pooriin snapped, shocking Michiko into silence, "Just shut up! You tried, she was a witch, you can't blame yourself!"

"We were the only ones who-" Michiko started weakly.

"No," Kakashi said firmly, "Enough. Let it go, Michiko."

Michiko slouched where she was, and Tenten put an arm around her shoulders. She knew how Michiko felt...she had promised Neji barely an hour ago to take care of Hinata and Michiko, and now...

_I've failed,_ Tenten thought, feeling that her 'perfect day' was ruined.

"It's not your fault," Asuma said softly, "What's done is done. You can't change it. None of us can," the young man sighed, then slowly got up, reaching for his cigarettes, "Shino, I'll take you home. Someone needs to explain to your parents what happened to you, and I need to talk to Shibi for advice. Everyone else...let's just call it a night."

()

That evening Tenten, Pooriin and Michiko all decided to have a sleepover by the fireplace; the place where they could gather together and feel the safest, after that day's events. While they set up their things, Kakashi and Asuma discussed with them what they should do, now.

"How did Shino's family take the curse?" Kakashi asked Asuma.

"Fairly well," Asuma answered, with a small nod, "Shibi's a Guardian, so he's probably used to hearing about curses. Shino's mother was a little shaken up...but considering that she and Shino used to travel with Shibi, I think she's heard of this kind of thing before."

"This is hard..." Michiko grumbled, struggling with putting her bedsheets out flat on the floor; now that her initial depression was gone, she was determined to be brave about her 'blindness', "And you stop laughing at me," she added, pointing at where she thought Kakashi was, "I know I'm walking into everything, but you try doing everything with your eyes closed and see where it takes you."

"Um, Michii? You're pointing at a wall," Pooriin said gently, and Tenten moved Michiko's hand slightly so that she was pointing properly; Michiko only stayed silent while she went back to working with her sheets.

"Back to business," Asuma said, while Tenten helped Michiko make her bed, "We need a plan, right now. We can't just leave Hinata with that witch. Did the sorceress mention to anybody where she was headed?"

"No," Michiko shook her head glumly, "All she did was tell me to make dango."

"That's not helpful," Kakashi mused, then, after receiving several annoyed looks, "I'm kidding! Trying to keep things light..."

"Now isn't the time," Asuma scolded, "We've got to get Hinata back."

"Did she say anything to you?" Tenten asked, looking at Pooriin.

"Um..." Pooriin rubbed her temples, "Let me think..."

"Michiko, your blanket's too close to the fire," Tenten said, then, letting Michiko try to fix it, "Yeah, that's better."

"I will figure this out," Michiko said vehemently, crawling around and feeling with her hands for a couch.

When Michiko found one, she pulled herself up and lolled tiredly where she was. Pooriin sat beside her, and Tenten sat on the back of the couch with her feet on the couch's seat. Asuma took a place in his armchair, and Kakashi kept his place leaning against a wall.

_Everyone looks so tired,_ Kakashi thought, scratching the back of his head, _We've all had such an eventful day...but that's putting it too lightly. Neji's gone, so Tenten's depressed, Hinata's kidnapped so Pooriin feels guilty that she couldn't stop the sorceress, and Michiko thinks she's responsible for Shino's curse. And Asuma's sad because his kids are sad. But not me, I never wanted these kids. ...Ok, fine, I'm a little sad. ...Just a little._

"Twisted Castle," Pooriin said suddenly, thinking out loud, then she got excited, "That's it! She said that if I wanted to get Hinata back, I'd have to visit the Twisted Castle!"

"Is the castle called twisted because it is literally twisted, or evil twisted?" Kakashi asked.

More glares were thrown in his direction, though in Michiko's case it was a wrinkled forehead towards the wall beside Kakashi.

"It was a joke...nobody likes my jokes..."

"So...we can assume she lives somewhere called the Twisted Castle," Michiko sighed, "Sorry, I can't help you if it's a literally twisted castle. But if it's evil twisted and I feel an evil aura I'll let you guys know."

"See, we've got a start," Tenten said cheerfully, "Look on the bright side. She gave us the option of rescuing Hinata. If she meant to kill Hinata, she would have told us."

"Don't even joke about that," Pooriin shivered, curling up on the couch so that her knees were under her chin, "I don't want to picture that."

"Yeah, I just scared myself," Tenten nodded, slouching moodily.

"Back to our plans," Asuma said calmly, trying to be the supportive one in the group, "We know Hinata's at some Twisted Castle somewhere, and the sorceress specializes in giant snakes and has purple hair. Not a lot of people have purple hair."

"_Purple_?" Kakashi asked, amused, "I didn't notice that."

"Because you were worried about your favourite Rini-chan?" Pooriin asked hopefully.

"No, I was distracted by the gigantic, scary snake that was destroying our property," Kakashi grinned, though they could only see his eyes.

"...Actually, that snake didn't leave a mark," Asuma said, looking out a window to their darkened property, "No damaged fences, no wrecked trees...not even a groove in the ground to show its trail."

"Magic..." Pooriin mumbled, thinking out loud.

"What do we do?" Tenten murmured to herself, "What do we do? Ugh, I _promised_ Neji I would take care of everyone for him!"

Michiko fiddled with her long hair thoughtfully, trying to figure out a way that she herself could help. There wasn't much she could do; all the ideas she could think of required sight. But then there was that whole dango thing that the sorceress had told her about. How could making dango help anything?

While the girls were silent, Kakashi and Asuma shared looks. Both knew the most obvious option; they could volunteer to become Guardians, get charmed weapons, and use those to try and challenge the sorceress. But the girls still needed their protection; none of them were properly 18 yet, except for Tenten, and she couldn't take care of Pooriin and Michiko on her own, especially now that one of them was 'blind'. And even if they could sign up now, it would take months, if not years, for them to train to a level that would allow them to kill a sorceress.

_We can't do anything,_ Asuma thought angrily, _Just like before...when _she_ was taken away._

Kakashi saw the look on Asuma's face, and he couldn't help but feel pity for his friend. Kakashi remembered her too, though it was years ago, but Kakashi had managed to forget the sting. With Asuma, the sting only dug deeper as the days went by.

But then all of their thoughts were interrupted, because at that moment, after nightfall, a knock was heard at the door.

* * *

_Esperwen_- Yay, cliffie! imm N00b!1!1! w00t!

...I was starting to get sad for everyone. Let me have my random, insane moments.

...well, everything I wanted to say, I said in the beginning. Please review! I think I'll give out virtual fortune cookies, this time.


	6. One Dream, Two Knights, and Three Girls

_Esperwen_- No, my dear readers, it's not a wonderful dream! I AM updating on time, this time! ...sorry, I got that quote from 'That 70s Show'. By the way, I'm trying to download Season 8, and it's taking FOREVER. I think I started downloading _before_ I started posting up this story, and it's still only about a third complete. Yikes. Hopefully it's the real thing and not a hack.

Erm, that wasn't Naruto-related...tugs on collar Anyway...considering I didn't go anywhere new today, I have found time to update! Yaaaay! And I sent fortune cookies to people with reviews I could reply to...except for (0.o). Whoever (0.o) is, thanks for reviewing, and to everyone, of _course_ Tenten isn't sitting around at home. What kind of story would be about Tenten sitting around at home. I'd hate that.

Btw, there were 32 hits on the last chapter! Yaaaay! I would dance around the room, but my feet hurt, and I'd distract my brother from playing Wii, and he'd look at me funny, so I won't. Ok, I'll stop chatting...this isn't a blog...to chapter six!

* * *

-Chapter Six: One Dream, Two Knights, and Three Girls-

All the room's occupants flinched when a knock was heard at the farmhouse's door. Confused, Pooriin looked out the window and saw how dark it had become; who would arrive at such a late hour?

Kakashi moved from where he was, and opened their front door just a crack, before opening it fully. There were two people, two boys, really, about the same age as the girls, but both had the King's crest sewn onto their arms, and had swords with insignia that were made specifically for the King's Special Guard of Knights. They looked to be rather young to be knights, let alone part of the Special Guard; knight training was more strict than Guardian training, but with more common foes and a more narrow range of battle techniques. Guardian training was simply more dangerous and their standards were higher.

The shorter one had brown hair and startling green eyes, and stood with his arms crossed almost casually, but Kakashi wasn't fooled; the set of that boy's mouth and rigidness in his stance said that he could draw the sword strapped on his back and attack faster than Kakashi could step out of the way. ...maybe.

The taller one had an unusually shaped hood, kind of like cat's ears, really, and his face was painted strangely, but then again, knights did not have an official uniform except on special occasions. And this matured teen had four swords; two strapped on either side of his waist, and two in a cross on his back. That didn't necessarily mean he was talented; for all Kakashi knew, this knight carried so many around because he was very apt to drop them. But four swords were still dangerous, dropped or not.

"Evening, travellers," Kakashi said calmly, opening the door only enough that the knights could see him, but not the inside of the house, "Anything I could help you with?"

"We're here by order of the Princess Ino," the taller knight informed Kakashi, almost challengingly.

"One of the Twin Princesses!" Pooriin whispered to her friends excitedly, "She's supposed to be beautiful!"

"Princess Sakura's supposed to be beautiful too," Tenten snorted, "All princesses are supposed to be beautiful."

"Which is why I wonder why none of you are princesses," Asuma whispered affectionately, earning three blushes and shy smiles. (A/N: I LOVE Asuma! :3)

"Princess Ino sent you here specifically?" Kakashi asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"As a matter of fact, she did," the knight answered, and the shorter, quieter one passed him a small scroll, "You may have heard that Princess Ino is a bit of a psychic; her dreams have a tendency to come true, and sometimes she sees visions of the possible future."

"That's _so_ cool," Michiko breathed, in awe.

The knight checked the scroll over, making sure it was the right one, then handed it to Kakashi. Eyeing the knight warily, the masked man decided he might as well be courteous to the strangers while they waited for the scroll to be read. Suppressing a sigh, Kakashi opened the door fully, and stepped to the side, making a sweeping motion with his arm.

"Come inside and sit down; you must be tired," Kakashi said, then called into the house, "Girls, make room. We have guests."

Kakashi led the way into the house, then looked pointedly at Asuma, who hadn't moved.

"_Girls_, we have guests," Kakashi said again, then grinned as he dodged a lazy kick Asuma aimed at his shin.

"Welcome to our home," Asuma said cordially, rising to his feet, "Did you ride here?"

"No, we walked," the knight answered, motioning for Asuma to stay where he was, "We didn't bring horses, but if you don't mind, we would like a place to..."

The boy paused when he saw the three girls by the fireplace; Pooriin was smoothing out the couch and re-fluffed the pillows so that the knights could sit there instead, while Tenten was helping Michiko sit on the floor, where they meant to sleep. Asuma noticed the knight's looks and couldn't help but get a little protective; he stepped into the boy's line of sight imposingly. The knight tried not to glare.

"A place to spend the night," the knight finished, "You have our word that we won't harm your three foundlings."

"Whoa, time out," Kakashi waved his arms for attention, "How did you know they weren't our...sisters, or something?"

"For starters, that's a lot of sisters," the knight said dryly, "For another, they look nothing like you. And thirdly, read that scroll."

Kakashi complied, and Asuma moved to read over Kakashi's shoulder. The two young knights sat on the couch only when Tenten offered it; Asuma had to admit that the boys had manners. The girls were probably safe if it was only for the night. And they would all be in the same room, watching out for each other; he should probably advise them to take shifts...Asuma shook his head. Now he was just being silly.

"We'll be in the next room, discussing this," Asuma said, and he and Kakashi stepped into the kitchen to read the scroll.

"Hey," the older knight waved to get the girl's attention, then nodded towards Michiko, "She's not really blind, isn't she?"

"...No," Tenten admitted warily, not trusting these strangers.

"All with sight but one not seeing," the younger muttered in a low voice, staring into the fire and startling the girls.

"And..._you're_ older than them, aren't you?" the first knight added, nodding to Tenten, "You're, what, eighteen?"

"Yes..." Tenten answered, sharing a suspicious look with Pooriin; Michiko faced the boy with a slight frown.

"One barely grown, two are close," the younger boy spoke again, as if quoting.

_This is getting creepy,_ Michiko thought, gripping Tenten and Pooriin's hands tightly while they sat on either side of her.

"So..._you_ know who your parents are," the knight said, pointing to Pooriin, "Unlike your friends, here."

"How did...?" Pooriin stopped her voice before it cracked.

"Mother and father, only one knows," the younger knight added, fixing the three girls with a stare from his eerie green eyes.

"Gaara, you're scaring them," the knight said bluntly, looking at his brother sternly.

Gaara simply shrugged and turned back to looking at the fire. Tenten shook herself to get rid of the chills she felt; were all knights this mysterious or creepy?

"I apologize for my brother, Gaara, he never spoke to other children when he was younger and never learned social graces," the knight said with an eye roll, then held his hand out to the girls, "My name is Kankurou. I'm part of His Majesty, King Gai's, Special Guard. Two weeks ago, Princess Ino had a dream, and had heard the poem:

Three girls that we must be keeping,

All with sight but one not seeing,

One barely grown, two are close,

Mother and father, only one knows.

She and her sister then chose to send my brother and I to find a farmhouse with a very exact description, in order to find three girls that fit that poem. That would be you three."

"There's your fairy tale, Pooriin," Tenten noted, nudging her friend slightly; her best friend had always wanted to be like the characters in magical stories.

"What you're guardians are reading right now is an extremely long, flowery letter informing them of exactly what I just said now. Princess Ino feels that we need to protect you, so you're coming with us to the Lotus Castle. Those two there," Kankurou said, jerking a thumb towards Kakashi and Asuma, "...can come if they want, but you three must."

_...That's why they didn't bring horses,_ Tenten realized, _So we could all walk together..._

"What happens if we don't wanna go?" Michiko asked, then immediately got pinched by Pooriin, "Ow! I just want to know! I'm not trying to ruin your chances!"

"I have no idea," Kankurou shrugged, "But the princess seemed adamant that you come, and thought she often acts like that, and it's annoying, it's also never without any real reason."

"Then when do we leave?" Kakashi asked, appearing behind the couch, suddenly, with Asuma beside him.

"Tomorrow morning," Kankurou answered, not batting an eyelash to the two men's abrupt appearance, "I suggest you start packing now."

"Wait, so we actually have no say?" Pooriin blurted, "Even if the Princess is wrong, or it isn't actually us, we have to go?"

"Not a lot of people fit that poem's description," Asuma pointed out, "It probably _is_ you three."

"Princess Ino is never wrong," Gaara said bluntly, not bothering to look away from the fire, "And she has already commanded for you three to come."

"You're right," Kankurou admitted, "You don't have a choice."

"But we have to find Hinata," Michiko whispered, clutching at Pooriin and Tenten's hands.

"...Maybe this is our chance," Tenten said slowly.

"What do you mean?" Pooriin asked, "Our chance for adventure? Well, of course!"

"No, I don't mean that," Tenten shook her head, "If we're at the Lotus Castle, we might have access to any information in the Blossom Country."

"But..." Michiko turned to where she guessed Kankurou was, "How will be we treated at the castle? Are we just servants?"

"The scroll said you would be treated like sisters of the Princesses and Prince," Kakashi said, looking at the scroll in question.

"I didn't know that!" Kankurou exclaimed, looking at Kakashi sharply.

"I'm not kidding; it says that right here," Kakashi said, pointing to a place on the scroll.

"So, we'd have access to almost everything!" Pooriin said, trying not to get too excited, while Kankurou snatch the scroll to look at it, "And if anyone's heard from Hinata, we'll find out!"

"It won't be all fun and games," Asuma said seriously, "The Royal Children still have lessons to attend to."

"Michiko, you'd learn how to play music! That's your dream right?" Pooriin said enthusiastically, then winced when her friend slouched, remembering that Michiko's couldn't use her eyes for another year.

"How long would we stay there?" Tenten asked, putting a comforting arm around Michiko.

"I don't know," Kankurou looked at the scroll, while speaking to Kakashi and Asuma, "Do either of you remember if that's mention here?"

"Nope," Kakashi shook his head.

"I guess it's safe to assume you're princesses for the rest of your lives," Asuma grinned.

"Wow..." Pooriin didn't bother hiding the stars in her eyes.

"...I think I want to go," Tenten nodded seriously, "I'd be allowed to check out the castle's armoury and the knights' areas, right?"

"I suppose...if you really want to," Kankurou nodded unsurely; that wasn't the first thing most girls would ask about if told they could become princesses.

"What about you, Michiko?" Asuma said, looking across the room at his youngest, "Think of all the options this opens for you."

_...I don't know,_ Michiko thought silently, facing the floor, _Everything will be so new, so alien...It may be a beautiful place, but I won't be able to even get a glimpse of it for the longest time. ...But only for a year. If I stay, I'll hold someone back, and they all want to go so badly now. And that's not fair..._

Michiko nodded slowly, still facing the floor, and Pooriin laughed loudly; immediately, Kakashi caught her up in his arms and spun her around the room to celebrate. Kankurou and Tenten smiled openly at their display, but Asuma kept his happiness down for a little while; after knowing her for so many years, Asuma could sense Michiko's fear, even from across the room. But the two dancers paid her no mind.

"This will be so great!" Pooriin cheered, "We become part of our own fairy tale!"

()

The next morning, everyone was packed and ready for travel well before noon. They weren't exactly poor, they just had very few things that were worth packing to bring along. Each of them had only one thing to carry, be it either a backpack or a shoulder bag, which was just as well, considering that they would be travelling far.

"Is everyone ready to leave yet?" Kankurou asked after practicing sword forms in their front yard for a few hours.

The knight hadn't really expected them to be prepared so soon; he was used to waiting for Princesses Ino and Sakura to get cartloads of unnecessary items together. So, he was moderately pleased when the whole household came outside as soon as he had spoken. Tenten was last to exit the house, carrying a paper, hammer and nail as she did so.

"What's that for?" Pooriin asked, then explained verbally to Michiko what Tenten was doing.

"It's a note since we probably won't be here when Neji comes back," Tenten explained, hammering the note into their front door solidly, then taking her walking staff that she had leaning beside the door, and nodding to the knights, "We can go, now."

Kankurou nodded, then started to lead the way. At first they walked in silence, then Pooriin and Kakashi started chatting about what they thought the castle would be like. Asuma would comment every now and then, while he led a silent Michiko by the elbow, but the two knights walked wordlessly, not bothering to join in. When they reached the top of the first hill on the road, Tenten stopped and looked back for a moment. Beyond the farm, she saw that the two men Kakashi had hired in the village just that morning were already on their way to tend to the animals; they would do that every day, until Asuma, Kakashi or Neji came back to claim the farm.

_Neji..._Tenten gave one last, wistful look to the farm that had been her home for two years, then looked forward again and continued walking, _Please don't forget about me. Come find me. I'm still waiting for you._

* * *

_Esperwen_- Yayz. Chapter 6 is done. And see? I _told_ you Tenten wouldn't just sit around at home. That would've been boring. Being dreamed about and deported to the Lotus Castle, where the King of the Blossom Country (the area they live in) resides, is _so_ much more fascinating.

Please review! I eat reviews, so please keep my alive! ...I eat chocolate, too, but I'm not sure how you can send that to me.


	7. Travel

-Chapter Seven: Travel-

A whole month of travel, and all walking, was no picnic for the group of five. Kankurou and Gaara had had years of training to endure the strain of constant travel, but the closest any of the former farmhands had come to stress the journey they were taking now, was when the three girls had wandered around without home or family. And even then, that was years ago, and they could stop and take breaks whenever they wanted; the two knights were allowing them one short break in the morning, one at noon for lunch, and one in the evening for dinner, but that was all.

The friends were trying to enjoy themselves, at least, and they did their best not to complain. They had castle life to look forward to, after all; it felt like they had special treatment from the Royal Family.

"We're halfway there," Kankurou said over his shoulder on the fifteenth day, while he led the way, "Just a few more hours; we'll reach an inn before dark."

"Do we get to actually meet the Royal Family?" Pooriin asked hopefully, while they walked.

"You'll be greeted by them when we first arrive," Kankurou answered, "But after that, both you and the Royal Family will have busy schedules, so you may or may not be too busy to meet with each other. The Family itself has trouble getting together, as it is."

"What will we do around the palace, then?" Tenten asked, annoyed, "Sit around and just look ornamental?"

"Tenten..." Asuma shook his head chidingly.

"Does _anyone_ know why they want us at the Lotus Castle?" Tenten wondered, rolling her eyes.

"Don't mind her," Kakashi said apologetically to Gaara, who was walking protectively at the back of their small band, "She feels like she's abandoning her boyfriend."

"Shut up!" Tenten growled, shaking her walking stick at Kakashi.

Michiko stumbled on the uneven dirt road, for the umpteenth time during their trip, and Tenten, Pooriin, and Asuma all rushed in to help her. Just like usual, the three would-be helpers all ended up in each other's way; Tenten groaned when Pooriin accidentally elbowed her, Asuma grunted when Tenten's staff hit his shoulder, and Pooriin yelped when Asuma stepped on her toe. Kakashi and the two knights braced themselves for Michiko's inevitable fall, but instead, they heard buzzing. The other six travellers watched as a cloud of black bugs swarmed in to help Michiko right herself; for a split second, Kankurou thought he saw the outline of a boy in the swarm.

_you didn't wait for me?_ the swarm whispered to Michiko, _i'm a little hurt..._

"Shino?" Michiko felt bugs crawl across her hands and face, but instead of disgusted, she felt a strange comfort, "You followed us?"

"Ew..." Kakashi muttered to himself, very maturely, while looking at the bugs.

"Don't you have to train for Guardianship?" Tenten asked, trying get used to the fact that the insects in front of her were really a 17-year-old boy.

There was silence, except for some buzzing. Michiko turned towards Tenten expectantly, but Asuma tapped her on the shoulder.

"You're the only one who can hear what Shino says, remember?" Asuma prompted, bringing to mind what they had discovered just a few days before.

"Oh, right. Sorry," Michiko smiled apologetically, "I thought Shino put writing in the air with his kikaichu, or something."

"Kikaichu?" Kankurou asked, wrinkling his nose at the swarm.

"That what the beetles are called, 'kikaichu'. Um, anyway, Shino says that his father decided that it would be better for him to stick with me until the curse wore off; they tried training him, but Shino can't pick up a sword since he transformed into bugs anyway, and its a little strange for a cloud of insects to try to become a Guardian."

"Sorry, little guy," Kakashi said to a passing grasshopper, "You can't become a Guardian."

"Who's Kakashi talking to?" Michiko asked curiously, her eyes still covered.

"He's just being stupid," Asuma sighed, then looked at the two knights, "You won't mind if a swarm of bugs follows us, will you?"

"I don't care, but I don't know about the Princesses," Kankurou shrugged, resuming their march, "I mean, not all girls tolerate bugs like Michiko there does."

The small troupe continued walking, and as they travelled, Tenten grabbed a handful of bugs while Michiko was busy talking with Pooriin. As soon as she felt many tiny feet running over her hand, her stomach turned and she instantly regretted her rash act, but after swallowing and taking a deep breath, Tenten regathered control of her stomach.

"...Thanks for coming, Shino," Tenten whispered into her hand, before the beetles got the chance to fly away, "It means a lot to Michiko. And she really needs you; I know you can take better care of her than me."

The insects flew back to join the rest of the swarm, but after a few minutes, Michiko turned to Tenten, a perplexed look on her face.

"Eto...Shino wants me to say 'thank you, rely on him' to you," Michiko said, scratching the back of her head, "And he told me not to ask why, so I won't, but I'd just like to say that it's a little weird..."

"Weird is in the eye of the beholder," Tenten grinned, poking Michiko's forehead and thinking to herself, _I guess that's just Shino's way of saying I can focus on taking care of Pooriin and Hinata. Neji may not trust Shino, but I do...so I guess I _will_ rely on Shino!_

()

"Everyone, look."

Kankurou motioned with an arm for the other seven travellers to join him. All eight of them stood in a row, spanning the width of the only road that led into Lotus Valley; the Valley was surrounded by a ring of mountains that were extremely treacherous to climb over, save for the dirt road that led straight to the castle's doorstep, going through the sole ravine in the circular mountain range.

"Welcome to your new home," Kankurou said mysteriously, and turned to take in the view.

Michiko heard gasps of appreciation from Pooriin, Tenten, and even Asuma couldn't help but murmur approval. Clearly, the travel-sore farmers were seeing something worthwhile.

"What's it look like?" Michiko asked, begging for someone to describe it to her; Shino did his best to keep her informed.

The Lotus Castle was set in the middle of a bowl-shaped valley, surrounded by a forest of lotus and cherry trees; while the ravine and mountains were devoid of life of either plant or animal, Lotus Valley was lush and green. It was past the season for the flowers to be in bloom; there were only fruit and green leaves now; but the former farmers could imagine pink blossoms everywhere. Stables and the knights and servants' living quarters could be seen, box-like buildings which seemed small in comparison to the castle. There were two large, open fields to the east of the castle, with a wide path leading to them through a thick forest that was between castle and field; Pooriin guessed one area was for horses, while the other was for the knights to train in. The travellers couldn't see it, but a garden grew behind the castle, where most of the castle's fruits and vegetables came from.

"Wow..." Pooriin hugged Michiko excitedly, "It's exactly like a fairy tale castle! That whole month of walking was _totally _worth this!"

The Lotus Castle itself was made of pale pink marble, Kankurou explained, while they began to walk down the steep hill; it was more of a mountain on this side, really, since the castle was actually below sea level, in a large hole. It wasn't a gigantic castle, but it was still big enough to make the travellers feel rather insignificant beside it; towers and turrets there were, with a fortifying wall a good thirty meters high surrounding the castle, protecting against any attacks. And a five-meter wide moat surrounded it completely.

"...That's some castle," Kakashi nodded when they reached the moat's edge, and the Pooriin couldn't help but laugh; he said it so casually, like he was referring to just another house.

Kankurou rang a large, silver bell by the side of the moat; in a moment, two guards looked down from above the drawbridge, wondering who was there.

"It's Kankurou and Gaara," Kankurou bellowed, cupping his hands around his mouth, "Let us in!"

All eight travellers could hear muffled yells from within the marble fortress, saying things like, "It's Kankurou! Lower the drawbridge!" or "Sir Kankurou and Sir Gaara are back!" Seven watched as the large, wooden drawbridge began to be let down by chains, while Michiko listened to the wood's creak and chains' clinking. The drawbridge landed with a thud, revealing fived armed guards, who appeared to be waiting for them to cross. Both parties stood where they were, waiting for the other to move.

"...Should we, I don't know, start walking?" Asuma suggested after a moment.

"Sorry. Got caught up in the moment," Kankurou admitted, beginning his march a little sheepishly, "It's an honour to be invited into Lotus Castle, let alone consider it home."

"Somebody likes his job," Tenten muttered under her breath, not unkindly.

"Welcome back, Sir Kankurou," one guard said formally with a slight bow; he was definitely around Kakashi or Asuma's age, if not a little older, and instead of a helmet, he wore some kind of coif that fell in front of half of his face.

"Captain Baki! To what do we owe the pleasure of the Captain of the Special Guard's greeting?" Kankurou asked, shaking hands formally but smiling openly at his superior, while the rest of the group stopped halfway across the drawbridge.

"You know the answer to that. Or rather, the three answers," Baki answered nonchalantly, then turned and bowed to the three girls, "Welcome to the Lotus Castle, those favoured of Princess Ino."

"Thank you," Pooriin piped up, speaking for her friends, "We hope to be of service to the Royal Family."

"Your enthusiasm shall be made known to His Majesty," Baki said, still showing neither annoyance nor enthusiasm, "But I'm afraid I must change the subject. Kankurou, Gaara, I understand the presence of the three girls, but why the two men and...do I see a swarm of insects?"

"Swarm of insects?" Kakashi made a dismissive motion, "Tch. Why would a swarm of insects be following simple travellers? You're seeing things."

"We're the girls' caretakers," Asuma answered, stepping forward, "We've watched over them for years, now, and we thought it best to accompany them on their journey."

"You had no need; Kankurou and Gaara are of my Special Guard, as I'm sure you already know, so they were completely safe," Baki said stiffly, "And their journey is now over. Those three girls are the only ones summoned by Princess Ino; you two have no place here."

"What?" Tenten and Pooriin blurted at the same time.

"You're just turning them away?" Michiko asked, shocked.

"I'm afraid so. Propriety and this castle's safety forbids me from doing otherwise," Baki answered dryly.

"That's not fair!" Tenten exclaimed, "What harm could they possibly do?"

"Tenten, relax," Kakashi commanded.

"No, she's right," Pooriin cut in, crossly, "You two should be allowed in."

"No, Capt. Baki is being reasonable," Gaara objected, and ignored the glares Tenten and Pooriin tossed his way, "Only those invited may enter."

"They travelled so far," Michiko said to Baki, her lower lip trembling, "A whole month! And they've taken care of us for so long! You _have_ to let them in!"

"I have to do no such thing," said Baki sternly, "Princess Ino sent for you three girls out of charity, and this is how you thank her? By pressing matters of your own concern that may endanger the Royal Family?"

"We're not trying to endanger anyone!" Michiko said quaveringly, a tear rolling down from underneath her blindfold, "We just want our two guardians to come with us!"

"Is that really too much to ask?" Tenten said coldly, holding her walking stick before her menacingly.

"Just let them come in!" Pooriin added, hands on her hips.

Asuma and Kakashi shared looks of chagrin; Tenten's temper, Michiko's sensitivity, and Pooriin's stubborness were showing at their finest. Tenten gripped her walking stick tightly, ready to swing it if any of the knights made a move to come after her guardians. Pooriin was prickling with anger, and the guards couldn't help but get the idea that though she wore pink and was the most cheerful of the bunch, that didn't mean she was the worst fighter; on the contrary, Pooriin and Tenten often sparred against Neji and Hinata during spare time at the farm. Shino also didn't like how the group was being treated; the swarm of bugs rose up around Michiko, literally buzzing with anger. Baki and his men still stood at attention, but now their aura felt hostile, rather than formal. Kakashi rolled his eyes heavenward with a sigh, and Asuma put a tired hand over his eyes; Neji hadn't been the only one in their group who was protective of his 'siblings'; poke one of them and the other four came snarling at you with a vengeance.

"What's going on here?"

Even Baki blinked at the sound of a young female's voice, and all the knights, Kankurou and Gaara included, faced the inner part of the castle courtyard and immediately fell to their knees. Tenten and Pooriin relaxed when the knights' attentions were elsewhere, but they still looked around warily, as did Kakashi and Asuma.

"What's going on?" Michiko whispered, "What's happening?" and again Shino did his best to describe the following events to her.

"At ease, Captain. What appears to be the problem?" the voice asked again, from around the corner, within the fortress where the travellers couldn't see.

_That's such a pretty voice,_ Michiko thought, _Could it be...?_

"I expected you to be getting ready or waiting in the throne room, my princess," Baki said, rising to his feet.

"I'm on my way, actually, but that doesn't answer my question," the princess said sternly, "Is there some kind of problem with the drawbridge?"

"No, princess," Baki answered, "But it seems your esteemed sister's guests are opposed to the palace's rules," he added before outlining the rule and the girl's opposition.

_Sister?_ Pooriin perked up her ears and reached out to link her arm with Michiko's.

_Then...this must be..._ Tenten tried not to let her eyes widen, while she gripped Michiko's other arm.

"That's ridiculous, Captain Baki!" the princess exclaimed, while stepping into view, "Of course their guardians may enter!"

"What does she look like, Shino?" Michiko asked avidly, thinking, _She could be a singer, with that voice!_

_imagine pink, shoulder-length hair, green eyes, and she's taller than you, but only by a little bit. she has delicate features, pale skin, and wearing a simple dress made of fine materials,_ Shino answered, _she's pretty enough._ Meaning that, quite honestly, he preferred Michiko's darker features. (A/N: OC lurve!)

"I'll be fine, Captain Baki, you and your men may go on your way," the princess said sternly, then, before the man could protest, "Go on. I'm sure the Desert Twins of my father's Special Guard can protect me well enough."

"They're actually leaving," Pooriin whispered into Michiko's ear, "She's definitely one of the Royal Family."

The knights and their leader left steadily, if reluctantly, and the princess turned to the five former farmhands and their swarm of bugs apologetically.

"Please excuse the captain; he came from an area where trusting strangers usually meant death," she said, then, with a twinkle in her eyes, "Kankurou, don't just stand there! Make introductions!"

"In that case, I present to you six our Princess Sakura," Kankurou said calmly, gesturing with his arms dramatically, exaggerating what was necessary to tease his princess, "Our Star of the Morning, middle child of the Royal Family, the Princess of Impossible Hair-"

"Enough," Sakura laughed, the looked at the travellers, "He's making up those extra titles; I'm just Princess Sakura. But you three are becoming honorary princesses anyway, so you can call me Sakura."

"That would be an honour," Kakashi grinned, "And I've always wanted to become a princess."

The whole group laughed to relieve their tension, save Gaara and Shino, of course; still, any nervousness they had felt was gone, now.

"Come on, let's start walking," Sakura urged, leading the way, "My family's waiting for you," she laughed shortly, "Our family, I mean."

* * *

_Esperwen-_ I want to play MapleStory...Time to play MapleStory...((0.0))

Please review for this otaku! There will be fortune cookies!


	8. Upgrading from 'Farmhand'

_Esperwen- _Sorry, I didn't have time to send out fortune cookies this time...(T.T) And I'm only going to be able to post today for this week; I forgot we were going to camp this week...(shifty eyes). However, this chapter is really long, and I have added an extra little blerb about Neji, so that should make up for it. Also, I rewrote the extra Neji bit because both people who reviewed mentioned that they were starting to miss him. And, since Neji doesn't come back into the story of a (long) while, I guessed that an extra paragraph or two would be ok. The first 18 lines/paragraphs were written just for you, Kyra-Mitsu and Herbblade!

* * *

-Chapter Eight: Upgrading from 'Farmhand'-

The year had definitely reached summer's peak. The days had grown longer (or perhaps it was because he was apart from his special someone?), the sun beat down hotter (or perhaps his separation from his love made him feel oppressed?), and Neji found it harder to keep moving forward as the weeks went by. Or perhaps this growing fatigue was really reluctance to go further and further away from the farm...

_Enough. A future Guardian needs focus,_ Neji thought sternly, wiping his forehead with his forearm as he continued trudging down the road, _It's only been about six weeks. I was lost for a few days, but I must be close, now. Shibi-san said the tower was only a month away._

The long-haired boy stopped under the shade of a tree for a moment to catch his breath. He wondered how his friends back at the farm were doing. It was almost noon, so Neji guessed that Kakashi was just getting out of bed to help Asuma with work around the farm; most of it would probably have been already completed by Asuma. Pooriin would definitely be washing windows or sweeping the path to the front door; somehow, she managed to enjoy housework. Hinata would be with Michiko since they were _always_ together, either tending to the animals or working on lunch. And Tenten...she was probably helping Asuma change the tiling on the farmhouse roof, or trying to bullfight with the docile cows they had. Her tendency to act a little more tough and foolhardy than she needed to be, was something that had attracted Neji in the first place; taking risks with her made life a whole lot more fun.

_If anything, Tenten would enjoy becoming a Guardian more than me,_ Neji thought, smiling a little, _She's always doing something exciting and reckless._

At that moment, Neji noticed that he was walking in a shadow, and coming out of his thoughts, he realized what he had been staring at without knowing it for at least half an hour. Before him, still a bit of a distance away, a great, white-stoned tower reached up to the sky and into the clouds, higher than any tree Neji had ever seen; the top of the tower was out of sight. At the tower's base, there were two wooden, gigantic double doors which were slightly open so only one person could pass at a time, and two men sitting at either side.

_Now I supposed it is time for _me_ to do something exciting and reckless._

Neji had reached the Guardian's Citadel.

When Neji got to the Citadel's doors, the two men stood up and stepped in front of the entrance, blocking Neji's way. Both men were tall, and scarred from many battles; one held a spear that looked like a giant scorpion tail and stinger, and the other had daggers strapped to his waist, torso, legs, and upper arms.

"What brings you to the Citadel, boy?" the spearman asked in a low, gravelly voice.

"I have," Neji swallowed before starting again in a clear, confident voice, repeating what Shibi had instructed him to say, "I have been sent by Shibi of the low southeast rural area of the Blossom Country. He believes I have enough skill to merit an application to Guardianship."

Both men eyed Neji for a time, not speaking a word. Neji felt his gut start to knot up, but he continued to stand straight and look both of them in the eye. He had come this far and was _not_ going to cower away now that two guards were leering at him. Then Neji had a thought: What if these two men were not Guardians? What if they were only two bandits? And what if this was not the Guardian's Citadel? No, it must be the Citadel...look how high the tower went. But what if it were all just an illusional spell?

Suddenly, the spearman took his weapon into both hands and bent his knees; Neji realized it was a combat stance. The man thrust his spear at Neji's head; our hero quickly bent backwards and took a step back, dodging the spear. Then he grabbed the spear at its pole, so that the spearman could no longer move it. At that moment, Neji saw the other man move in the corner of his eye, and looking, Neji saw the man throw two daggers at him. Neji ducked one and used the spear to deflect the other one so that it flew up in the air; at the same time, Neji twisted the spear violently so that the spearman let it go. The white-eyed boy held the spear with his left arm, then caught the deflected dagger on its way down with his right hand; Neji stood with his feet apart and knees slightly bent, so that he held the dagger in front of him, and the spear a little to the side, ready to fight.

Neji waited for either of his attackers to move, but instead, the spearman chuckled and the dagger-thrower started to applaud slowly. Neji narrowed his eyes in confusion, never lowering his stance, but the spearman put up his hands placatingly.

"It's all right, boy. We're done, now," the spearman said, holding out a hand for his weapon.

"...what was that?" Neji asked in a low tone, after looking the two men over for a moment; he still held onto the dagger and spear and stood in his stance.

"Your admission fee," the man with the many dagger answered, speaking up for the first time, "We couldn't let you in if you couldn't even deal with attacks like those."

"...Admission...?" Finally, a confused-looking Neji relaxed his stance.

"Welcome to the Guardian's Citadel, boy," the spearman said amiably, "...and give me back my spear."

()

"Ah, what beautiful, youthful girls my lovely daughter, Ino, has divined to come meet us!" the king observed loudly when the travellers and Sakura entered the throne room.

The king threw his head back and laughed openly; a little too raucously for a king, in the travellers' opinion, but he was their nation's leader nonetheless so they let it drop.

"Yes, Father, they appear to brim with youth!" the prince agreed, and joined his father's merriment.

"Ok, that's just getting weird," Tenten murmured to her friends through the corner of her mouth.

Kakashi and Pooriin half expected the princess at the front of the room to also start laughing loudly, but thankfully, she sat primly where she was.

"Welcome all," the princess smiled, while Sakura hurried to sit beside her, "Thank you for obeying my summons, and try not to mind my father and brother. Soon we'll all share them, after all."

"Can't wait," Michiko said dryly, and her two friends and Kakashi muffled snorts of laughter, all the while still walking forward.

"Sh!" Pooriin whispered vehemently, her face turning a little red, "We _have_ to be _polite_!"

"My name is Princess Ino," she said, with a refined smile, "I see you've met my younger twin sister, Sakura, already; on my right is my older brother, Lee, and of course my father, Gai."

The travellers looked at the two males expectantly, waiting for another greeting, but both were wrapped up in their own personal conversation, commenting about youthfulness every now and then.

"Don't worry, they're always like that," Sakura said dismissively, "What are all your names?"

"This is Michiko," both Tenten and Pooriin said at the same time, pointing.

"That's Tenten," Michiko and Pooriin chorused, again pointing.

"And here's Pooriin," Tenten and Michiko laughed, gesturing to Pooriin.

"You've known each other for a while, if you can speak together that," Ino said appreciatively.

"Just two years," Tenten shrugged, then pointed to her guardians, "And these are Asuma and Kakashi. They took care of Michiko since she was eight, and let Pooriin and I stay with them since two years ago."

"You must be close," Ino nodded, then she and Sakura shared looks before getting up together, "Ugh, I'm tired of this formality!"

"Let's go into the garden out back," Sakura suggested, she and Ino walking towards them, "You'll like it; it's really pretty. Um," Sakura looked at Michiko, remembering she was blindfolded, "And it's a nice place to sit in, and...it smells nice...and..."

"Don't worry about it," Michiko smiled, "You can describe it to me."

"Great," Sakura breathed, relieved that she hadn't hurt anyone's feelings.

"C'mon," Ino urged, leading them to a side door, "I bet you're wondering why I sent for you, and we can eat while we talk. You must be hungry from your journey."

Ino led them outside the main castle, across the moat by using a few stepping stones that were hidden a few inches underwater, and into the castle's garden. In one half, the castle's produce was grown, but the other half was kept solely for flowers, be they medicinal or simply pretty. In the midst of an area of blue flowers, there was a circle of stones that served as benches and seats, and the princesses waited until they were settled and servants brought them trays of food before Ino explained.

"So..." Kakashi relaxed with his hands behind his head, sitting under a tree, but he still sounded businesslike, "Explain to us why you want to adopt our kids."

"Oh, so _now_ you care?" Asuma rolled his eyes, incredulous.

"I'll have you remember it was _I_ who talked _you_ into accepting Neji and Hinata," Kakashi said triumphantly.

"Who are Neji and Hinata?" Sakura asked, confused, "And...I'm sorry, Michiko, but I have to ask about the cloud of bugs behind you."

"You two should talk first," Tenten said resolutely, "After all, you sent for us."

"That's fair," Ino nodded, then took a deep breath before she started, "Well, Kankurou probably told you about how I had a dream; I ended up spouting some kind of poem that described you three. But that's not all, because, see...Sakura and I wanted...oh, it sounds so childish!"

"What does?" Asuma raised his eyebrows.

"See..." Sakura sighed heavily, "Ino and I are lonely out here. The only other girls around are maids or servants who are too shy to talk to us; only boys ever come to be knighted here, so...we have no friends to talk to, or be around..."

"And in my dream, I saw your farm; all of you wanted something more in your lives, right?" Ino asked, looking at them hopefully, "Tenten, you and some boy wanted to be more than just farmers, and Michiko, you and your boyfriend wanted to have some kind of adventure together before you got too old to be unable to. Pooriin, you and that other girl were wishing to be in a fairytale, and Asuma, Kakashi, both of you wanted to become Guardians. Well, this is your chance! With the girls here, you know they'll be safe while you go to the Guardian's Citadel. And we can offer you girls so much in your futures, if you became princesses just like us, while we would have friends to talk to and spend time with. Do you see what I mean?"

"It does sound good..." Tenten narrowed her eyes, "But what's the catch? Ow!" Tenten glared at Pooriin, who had pinched her, "I'm not wrecking our chances, so would you relax?"

"No catch," Sakura shook her head quickly, "Just...we want you to be friends with us...and not treat us like royalty so much. It's such a pain..."

"So, will you stay? We're not forcing you, honest," Ino said pleadingly, "But we really don't want you to leave!"

The three girls in question were surprised; both Ino and Sakura were also seventeen, just like Michiko and Pooriin, but they seemed so much younger. Maybe that was the outcome of staying within palace walls, away from the rest of the world.

"...I want to," Michiko said quietly, surprising her friends; she rarely stepped forward first, "I...I need a safe place for another 11 months, while my eyes are covered, and...it's true. I want an adventure."

"I'll stay, too," Tenten added, "Your dream was right, Ino; farm life isn't exactly what I consider my life's dream."

"And of course I'm staying!" Pooriin grinned, glad things were going so smoothly, "I'd love to be a princess!"

"Me too!" Kakashi said, raising a hand, then winced when Asuma threw a handy rock at him, landing it neatly on his kneecap, "I kid, I kid..."

"Well..." Asuma was reluctant, "I guess it's safe...enough..."

"They'll be treated just like us," Sakura promised, "They'll be princesses, too."

"We'll be fine, Asuma," Tenten said solemnly, "You and Kakashi should take this chance! You've waited over ten years for us kids to get out of your hair; you deserve the break."

"Maybe we shouldn't go," Kakashi said after a moment of thought, "It's all pretty sudden."

"You've always wanted to be a Guardian!" Asuma exclaimed, his former calm gone, now that he was dealing with his best friend.

"But now it's like I'm being forced!" Kakashi argued, "I hate obligation!"

"Oh, brother," Tenten rolled her eyes, "You don't change..."

"So...you three are staying?" Sakura asked, she and Ino leaning forward.

"Definitely," Pooriin clarified, with another of her 100-watt smiles.

"Great," Sakura breathed, then said, "Then...what's with the swarm of bugs?"

"And, I'm just curious, but who were the two boys and girl in my dream?" Ino added, "Pooriin's friend, and Tenten and Michiko's boyfriends?"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Tenten exclaimed loudly, then humbled herself, "I mean...Sorry. Michiko, could you...?"

For the next little while, Michiko explained Neji's going away, Hinata's kidnapping, and Shino's curse; throughout the whole, lengthy story, both princesses listened avidly, interested to know what happened in the outside world. Upon hearing that the sorceress in question had purple hair, Ino couldn't help but tease Sakura.

"Huh. And we thought pink hair was unusual," Ino smirked, "Sakura, I believe you've been bested."

"Oh, please," Sakura rolled her eyes, "Seriously. I'll send out word to be on the lookout for such a sorceress, and I really hope we'll receive news soon. We'll help you find Hinata."

"Thanks," Tenten smiled lopsidedly, "I can't help but feel responsible; I promised her older brother I'd look out for her."

"It isn't your fault she's gone," Asuma said sternly, shaking his head while he reminded her, "You might not even have made that promise by the time Hinata was taken from us."

"I hope she's all right," Michiko murmured, looking away from the group, facing the wind, "We've never been apart since she turned eight, you know..."

"You're not going to cry again, are you?" Kakashi asked, somewhat insensitively.

"No!" Michiko pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in her arms.

"Oh...poor thing...Hey, I have an idea!" Ino sat up straight after a moment, "Let's all plan a ball for next week! You know, as a sort of welcome party!"

"I don't know..." Tenten hesitated, but Michiko looked happy to oblige with Ino.

"C'mon, it sounds like fun!" Pooriin insisted, warming up to the idea right away, "We need to get used to this castle, so arranging a ball could help us get familiar with how it works, and we need to at least give Kakashi and Asuma a farewell party before they go."

"I like parties," Kakashi added, raising a hand.

"Well...if it's not too much trouble," Tenten said, looking at Sakura and Ino.

"It's no trouble at all," Sakura smiled, "In two weeks, we're having a ball!"

()

The day of the Lotus Castle's 'Welcome and Farewell' ball finally arrived, the same day Neji reached the Guardian's Citadel. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, all the little hors d'oevres that the cooks had been instructed to make were being baked perfectly...and four of the five princesses were nervous.

"Ugh, my stomach's full of butterflies," Sakura groaned, placing a hand on her flat stomach.

While she sat on a reclining chair that was in the princess' joint sitting room, Princess Sakura was looking like the perfect model of nobility with a red gown, elbow-long pink gloves, and a thin, copper tiara with a single red ruby set into it. But even then, she looked stressed.

"Think about how we feel," Michiko added shakily, while her faithful swarm of insects, Shino, led her into the room, "I'm going to stick out so much...they're going to think I'm just some farmgirl."

The young woman had a simple blue, silk dress on, a silver circlet with one blue lapis lazuli set in it was all that was on her head, and the black cloth that the sorceress had given her was still faithfully tied over her eyes, but as she walked, Sakura couldn't help but admire that little bit of poise Michiko held herself with.

"You're already adjusted with your blindess to be graceful," Sakura smiled, "And you're so polite to strangers. That's two points on princess traits that you've got over Ino already."

_ten points to princess sakura,_ Shino buzzed to himself, keeping a private score for which by-blood princess could insult the other the most; the two sisters were always making little verbal digs into the other's pride.

"I'm right here; I can hear you," Ino snapped, sitting across the room from Sakura with her arms crossed; she looked quite at home in her royal purple gown, and from that slight tilt in her chin, she seemed very aware of the gold tiara with purple amethyst that was placed neatly on her hair.

"I don't know if they'll like me," Pooriin whimpered while sitting beside Sakura, playing with her dark pink robes nervously, "What if I clam up and I don't have anything to say? I'll be a disgrace to Kakashi."

"Knowing you, you won't clam up," Tenten chuckled, standing nearby in her green gown, "You never do. Ever."

Tenten adjusted Pooriin's silver, pink diamond-set tiara for her, before checking her own gold and emerald circlet; she was trying to put on a brave face like usual for her oldest and dearest friends, but it wasn't exactly working.

"Me, on the other hand..." Tenten stepped over and hooked an arm with Michiko, "Michii, you do the talking or I'm going to end up insulting the King of the Cloud Country, or yelling at him, or something. You know how snippy I can be with strangers."

"But...I don't talk to strangers," Michiko whispered, sounding terrified and squeezing Tenten's hand, "Strangers are _scary._ They could pop you into a bag and eat you later!"

"You'll all be fine," Sakura soothed, looking as if she should give herself her own pep talk, "If they don't know you, they have nothing to hold against you. But as for me-"

"Why are _you _so nervous?" Ino sniffed, applying a little eye make-up while looking in a small compact mirror, "We've met all the invited courtiers and nobles before at least a dozen times."

"That's just the point," Sakura sighed, "What if I forget a name? Then someone will say, 'we are offended that your family doesn't remember us, so our peace truce is off', and Father will end up shredding one of his treaty papers."

"Please," Ino rolled her eyes, "Like that's ever going to happen. I always forget at least a dozen names, but they don't care. So long as you smile and pretend you know them, you're fine."

After hearing a noise outside and glancing out the window, the purple princess stood up and regally crossed the room towards the door. Sakura and Pooriin also stood, waiting for Ino to speak again.

"Come on," Ino smiled while she opened the door, "Some people are coming, and we might as well greet them."

()

"Regent of the Star Country? Welcome!"

Tenten and Michiko kept smiles pasted on their faces, while they walked arm in arm through the Lotus Castle's ballroom, but inwardly they wanted to frown, scream, or do something that wasn't proper for a princess to do; they envied bug-swarm Shino, who was part of unofficial security, and didn't need to mingle with the nobles while he hovered overhead. They didn't understand why Sakura was so nervous around the palace guests; they were bored with being introduced to so many people, and not as afraid of what the strangers might think of them as they had been before. It had been almost an hour, but they still hadn't gotten through half of the people they were supposed to meet.

"Hey, there's Pooriin!" Tenten whispered to Michiko, looking at the other side of the hall, "Why don't we..."

Abruptly, the crowd shifted and the pink princess was lost from the blue and green's views, much to Tenten's minor horror. It was like they were in a sea of nobility.

"Never mind, we lost her. Ugh, this crowd is _huge_!" Tenten groaned, "I haven't seen Sakura since we set foot into this place."

"Did Rini-chan at least look like she was having fun?" Michiko asked hopefully, adjusting the black cloth over her eyes.

"Yes," Tenten sighed, "She's got hundreds, even thousands of people ready to listen to her long, random stories and corny jokes. Of course she's having fun."

"Well, at least one of us country hicks are enjoying herself," Michiko said in a dry voice, and Tenten couldn't help but chuckle; they had just seen Asuma and Kakashi a moment before, trying to be invisible why they hovered around a refreshments table, "By the way...Shino said something about Ino carrying around some...fuzzy caterpillar?"

"Yeah, it's true," Tenten nodded, wrinkling her forehead, "Ever since I got a glimpse of her a half hour back, I've been wondering about that. But we haven't seen her again, yet, so we won't know what's going on about that until later."

"...Shino says the caterpillar can talk," Michiko reported, after introducing themselves to the Bird Country's Ambassador.

"Really?" Tenten noticed a kikaichu flying away from Michiko's shoulder, "Like, actual voice talking, instead of the way Shino talks to you?"

"Yeah, everyone can hear the caterpillar talk," Michiko nodded, adjusting her grip on Tenten's elbow, "He's supposed to be very polite, and he said his name is Chouji."

"That's interesting..." Tenten mused, then continued, after quickly introducing themselves to one of the Sea Country's High Lords, "What do you think it means? People don't find talking animals without a reason."

"I don't know," Michiko shrugged, touching her blindfold again, "Maybe...maybe Ino's getting started on her own fairy tale adventure. Just like how we're on ours."

"That's possible. I mean, if it happens to us farmgirls, why not a princess, too? ...so did Shino mention anything else? Like, say...your necklace?" Tenten teased, meaning the pendant of a dragonfly preserved in amber that Michiko had purposely chosen to wear that evening, knowing that Shino had always liked insects in almost any form.

"He hasn't mentioned it," Michiko admitted, looking a little glum, then she added with a sly smile, "I wonder how Neji's doing right now..."

"Don't start," Tenten warned, shaking her fist at Michiko even though the younger girl couldn't see it. She missed that stick she usually carried around; the king had said that it made her look less like a princess and had banned it from within the castle. Maybe King Gai would let her hold a scepter as a replacement?

At that moment, a commotion was heard at one of the hall's doors; immediately both girls turned their heads to the noise and Michiko gripped Tenten's arm tightly.

"Can you see what that is?" Michiko asked breathlessly, "Everyone sounds so excited!"

"No, too many tall people are in the way," Tenten answered, shaking her head.

Both the girls heard the murmur of boys' voices at the other side of the room, and they strained their ears to hear. Unfortunately, neither could understand the words of whoever was speaking, and they barely suppressed sighs when the whole room began to talk again; obviously the newcomers were finished introducing themselves.

"Heavenly Tenten!" a familiarly loud voice said from behind them, and they turned around to face the speaker.

"It's King Gai," Tenten said quietly for Michiko's benefit, then she smiled and bowed slightly when the king reached them, "Great party, your Highness."

"A pleasure to meet with you, your Highness," Michiko added, also bowing.

"Ah, little Michiko," Gai smiled broadly and gave the younger girl a thumb's up, "Why don't you go meet whoever just walked in? I would like to have a nice chat with heavenly Tenten."

"But, I need her-" Michiko started.

"Excellent!"

Ignoring the teenager's protests, Gai turned Michiko by the shoulders and pushed her gently to get her started towards the doors. She nearly crashed into a few of the guests, but luckily they saw her and steadied her before anything serious happened.

"Have a good, youthful time!" Gai called, missing a glare Tenten threw his way before he looked back towards her, "Shall we?"

At first, the boisterous king and the honorary princess shared a bit of small talk; between meeting even more guests, they mentioned the weather, how nice the castle crop would be during harvest, and so on. But after a few minutes, Gai got down to business.

"Well, Tenten, what do you think of my castle?" Gai smiled, taking a goblet of wine from a passing tray-bearer.

"It's...well, it's huge," Tenten nodded, looking up and around the gigantic ballroom; though it was the smallest ballroom the castle had to offer, her old farmhouse could easily fit in it with their barn and half their land, "I still need to see most of the castle grounds, but so far it's-"

"Wonderful!" Gai finished her sentence for her, then took a sip of wine before asking, "Certainly you find it so wonderful that you wish to be queen of it, one day."

"Qu...queen?!" Tenten's eyes went round as saucers, "What...I...well, I-"

"Of course you do!" Gai nodded avidly, "And of all the other girls that came here, you are certainly the best candidate. After all, you are the oldest."

"...queen?" Tenten was still stuck on this strange offer, _I don't want to be queen! Is this man insane?!_

"Not to mention that, well," Gai shrugged a little, not seeing Tenten's shock, "Michiko there is a nice child, but she hangs around the kitchens and the stables and around the servants...not to mention those bugs that are always following her around. She's more for the people, wouldn't you agree? Youthful, but common, if I put it politely."

_Are you insulting my friend?_ Tenten wanted to say, but she knew that would be rude and tried to think of something more appropriate.

"Naturally," Gai continued, taking Tenten's silence for agreement.

"But...but what about Pooriin?" Tenten stammered, while Gai was busy taking another sip, _I mean, she's the one who wanted to be a princess the most!_

"Well, here's the thing. My dear eldest, Lee...I will admit he is a little, um, easy to distract, as it were," Gai said somewhat reluctantly, almost as if he didn't want to admit that his son wasn't perfect, "And so is Pooriin, you have to admit. Lee needs someone to balance his personality out."

"...What do you mean, 'balance'?" Tenten asked, suddenly worried where this conversation was going.

"'Balance' as in, sort of 'counter' his distractability. Not that he won't grow out of it; I mean, look at me," Gai said seriously, then something caught his eye, "Oo! More wine! How excellent and full of youth!"

"But...what are you trying to say?" Tenten asked, a little dazed, "How would I balance Lee out?"

"Ah, Tenten," Gai shook his head disappointedly, while holding a now refilled wineglass, "Obviously, I wish for a marvelous union between you and my youthful Lee."

"Union? As in...marraige?!" Tenten's eyes went wide again, "But...but I already...I can't...there's this boy that I-"

"Oh?"

Gai raised an eyebrow, then nodded to somewhere over Tenten's shoulder. Following his gaze, Tenten saw that they were right beside the refreshment table; Asuma was walking towards her, while Kakashi appeared to be flirting with one of the serving girls.

"Hey, King Gai, Your Highness, and Tenten," Asuma bowed to the first and nodded to the second, "How're you two doing?"

"F...fine," Tenten said faintly, her eyes on something behind Asuma, though her old caregiver was looking at Gai and didn't notice.

While the two men spoke to each other, Tenten was looking closely at where Kakashi was. Gaara, in his formal Special Guard uniform, stood close beside Kakashi; he was staring at Tenten and fingering his swordhilt meaningfully. Kankurou, also in his uniform, was a few paces behind Asuma; the skilled knight also had a hand on a swordhilt while he eyed the back of Asuma's head, or rather, his neck, with an unfriendly look.

"What do you think, Tenten?" Asuma asked, looking back at the girl and snapping her back to reality.

"Oh, uh...yeah, totally," Tenten nodded, pasting a smile on, _What am I agreeing to?_

"See? Naturally this flower of youth would agree with me," Gai smiled triumphantly at Asuma, and clapped the other man on the shoulder heartily, "But now I must speak to Tenten privately. Castle affairs, of course."

"Right, right," Asuma grinned, "By your leave, your Highness, princess."

The man winked at Tenten, proud to call her by such a high title as princess, and chucked her under the chin affectionately before walking away. Tenten smiled weakly as he left, but it faded when she saw that Kankurou was now following him.

"As you were saying, heavenly Tenten?" Gai asked, no longer looking so friendly while he sipped his wine.

"I...I just," Tenten said, feeling her face go pale, "I'm kind of..."

"Yes, Tenten?" Gai slowly raising a hand as if ready to signal someone, "Go on."

Tenten opened her mouth, gaping, trying to find words to say, wanting with all her heart to refuse. But Asuma and Kakashi...! Finally, she nodded mutely and looked down to the floor, ashamed.

_Neji, I'm so sorry..._Tenten thought, watching Gai make a dismissing motion, and Gaara and Kankurou moving away from their marks, _How do I get out of this mess, now?_

"Good choice, Princess Tenten," Gai nodded approvingly, taking another sip of wine.

The king turned and disappeared into the ball's crowd, and Tenten groaned before walking her own way.

"Hey, are you ok?" Kakashi asked, sidling up from behind her, "Have an hors d'oevre. They're not bad. It'll take that frown off your face."

"Thanks," Tenten mumbled, taking the pastry without thinking.

"...What happened?" Kakashi asked, leaning towards her slightly for privacy from the crowd.

"Nothing, nothing," Tenten protested, shaking her head with a fake smile that Kakashi bought before he left to mingle in the crowd again.

_Man, what could I say? _Tenten thought worriedly,_ And who would believe me? The king's acts so childishly all the time; no-one will believe he threatened to kill my guardians if I didn't marry his son!_

_Esperwen_- And the plot thickens! I hope I didn't disappoint too many people. Please review or message me if some stuff doesn't make sense; I really want to have a very continuous, understandable plot. I don't like plot holes...holes are only good in CHEESE...

Anyway, yeah, please review! Oh, and I can't update until next week, so please be patient!

* * *


	9. Tentan's Story

_Esperwen-_ Tralalalala! I am back from camp, and after catching up on facebook (lol...) I am here to (finally) post the next chapter! Btw, the bugs in the country are _huge_. Why is this? D:

Erm...yes. Back to the fic. Thanks for waiting so patiently; here's chapter nine!

* * *

-Chapter Nine: Ten-tan's Story-

"Tenten!"

The girl in question flinched when she heard the call, then stayed very, very still. She was in one of the Lotus Castle's gardens, between the yellow roses and daffodils, hiding. Ever since her engagement to Lee had been announced publicly, barely a day after the Welcome and Farewell ball, servants had been chasing Tenten around all month, trying to get the measurements for her dress, and her opinions for what the ceremony and reception should be like. But of course, she didn't want a wedding; Tenten's goal was to keep avoiding the servants so that they could make no plans whatsoever, and in doing so, Tenten would end up forcing King Gai to postpone the wedding that would be in only six more weeks; after all, no preparations mean no wedding.

The footsteps seemed to get louder, Tenten realized, listening hard and holding her breath; had she been found out? Tenten braced herself, ready to make a break for it, but she stayed still, not moving from where she was, just in case the searcher did not actually know she was there. But the footsteps kept approaching, and just when Tenten wanted to start running, she heard footsteps coming from the opposite direction.

_I think I'm trapped!_ Tenten thought, looking both forward and backward, then trying to decide between right, towards the knights' training grounds, or left, towards the castle orchards, _Which way should I go? I refuse to help with this wedding!_

The two people came closer...closer...but at the same moment Tenten wanted to jump out of her hiding place, scream loudly to startle them, then run away, both pairs of footsteps stopped, and a raised voice was heard.

"Hey, I think I saw her!"

Tenten recognized that voice, and blinked when the person who yelled came into view. First a large, white dog, and then Pooriin stepped out of the daffodils, waving her arms over her head.

_What the...she can't be helping them!_

"Which way?" the other person asked, and when she heard a sniffle, Tenten realized it was Udon, the servant who was most often sent out to search for any missing princesses; it was really the only task worth giving him considering he was still just an 8-year-old kid, and he was not skilled enough or too easily distracted from most other palace tasks. The only reason the king put up with Udon, was because Udon's parents were both servants who lived in the castle, and who made up for any of Udon's blunders by far.

_Pooriin's going to rat me out?_ Tenten thought, staring at her oldest friend, too shocked to move, _No way!_

"That way," Pooriin answered Udon, pointing to the right, where the knights' training grounds were.

"Yeah, that makes sense," Udon agreed, "That's one of Princess Tenten's favourite places. Thanks, Your Majesty!"

"No problem!" Pooriin called after him while he bowed and left, "And don't just ask people if she's there. Actually look for her; she knows a lot of knights, so they might be trying to hide her!"

After Udon waved back and started running towards the training grounds, the dog stopped smiling and gave Pooriin a look that was halfway between amused and reproachful. When Pooriin saw it, should couldn't help but squirm a little.

_What's that dog's name?_ Tenten could never remember.

"Don't give me that look!" Pooriin exclaimed, and when the dog barked at her, she added, "You would've done the same, Kiba!"

_Right. 'Kiba' was his name, _Tenten thought, _He came to the ball with that prince...what was his name? Sasuke? I think that was it...and afterwards, Prince Sasuke decided to stay at the castle for a while, so Kiba stayed with him._

Tenten kicked herself inwardly as she got up and brushed dirt off her clothes; how could she remember the name 'Sasuke', and not 'Kiba'? What was more, the dog had been following her best friend around, ever since they met at the ball the month before. ...maybe she remembered 'Sasuke' because Princess Ino and Sakura were always calling his name and chasing him around the castle. It made Tenten wonder why the prince decided to stay at the Lotus Castle in the first place.

"Thanks, Pooriin," Tenten said, smiling at her friend, "For a moment there, I thought you were gonna give me away."

"Now why would I do a thing like that?" Pooriin asked in a dull tone that Tenten hadn't expected; she sounded annoyed, "I mean, sure we never hang out anymore, since we're all busy with being royal and everything. But that isn't gonna make me mad."

"Hey, wait a minute," Tenten tried, sensing something was wrong, but Pooriin wasn't finished.

"We don't see each other in class, either, considering you hardly show up," Pooriin continued, "But hey, you find classes boring, except for History, for some reason. So _that's_ excusable."

Tenten opened her mouth to interrupt, but Kiba put a restraining paw on her foot and shook his head.

"And sure, whenever we _do_ have free time, you're always running from servants or whacking people around with a staff in the training grounds, or something," Pooriin shrugged, "What do I care? I have other friends. You're not my only friend, Tenten!"

"...I think you're mad at me," Tenten said almost innocently, as if the thought only just occurred to her.

"_Yes_!" Pooriin exclaimed, looking relieved, "You finally noticed! I am _so_ mad at you! You have no idea how mad I am at you! I've been trying to give you the silent treatment all month, but it isn't working because you're never around! And that annoys me even more!"

"Well...I'm sorry," Tenten glanced around, feeling somewhat guilty that she hadn't noticed sooner, "Um...do you want to ignore me now?"

"Ok!" Pooriin agreed cheerfully.

Abruptly, Pooriin's sunny demeanour changed into a stony frown, focused solely on Tenten. Pooriin stayed frozen in her place, seemingly focusing her entire being on a silent glare; a few moments passed, but Tenten stood patiently, keeping eye contact and humouring her long-time friend. Even Kiba stayed put, he sat down and glanced between both honorary princesses, looking both amused and confused at the same time.

Finally, Pooriin sighed and ground a foot into the dirt, irritably.

"It's not the same as real silent treatment," Pooriin complained, annoyed with Tenten, "You don't care that I'm not talking to you! That wasn't satisfying."

"Yeah..." Tenten had to agree, "But if it makes you feel any better, it's kind of weird to get stared at for about 10 minutes."

The dog woofed his agreement, and Pooriin allowed herself a smile. She was never a truly bitter person, anyway.

"Seriously, though," Pooriin sighed, "I'm mad at you."

"You could always just visit me in the training grounds," Tenten suggested, but Pooriin shook her head.

"It's not the same as spending _real_ time together, and that's not the real reason I'm mad at you," Pooriin said bluntly.

"Then tell me, so I can make it up to you," Tenten said.

Pooriin looked away at first, then faced Tenten squarely with a sour expression on her face.

"I thought you loved Neji."

Kiba growled, and Tenten's face went blank at Pooriin's words; she had been caught off guard. The younger girl hadn't spoken very loudly, and the words used were so simple, but Tenten felt a sharp pain in her heart that she couldn't ignore.

"I...well...'love' is a really strong word," Tenten mumbled, feeling her face heat up and not meeting Pooriin's gaze; she hadn't told Pooriin the real reason she was engaged to Lee.

"Don't say that!" Pooriin exclaimed, "Don't even pretend! The closest I've ever seen to you cry was that day Neji left. And don't you dare try to lie and say those were tears of joy! Admit it, you loved Neji!"

"...Whevever, Pooriin," Tenten muttered dismissively, starting to walk away, her energy suddenly gone, _You can't understand._

"'Whatev-'...!"

Pooriin choked on repeating the word, feeling her temper flare, but she shut her eyes and clenched her hands, trying to keep calm. Now wasn't the time to childishly lose her temper. After a few deep breaths, and when she reopened her eyes, Kiba saw that she had recovered herself; she was still angry, but now a mist of sadness blurred it.

"Tenten, wait. Ten-tan..."

Tenten stopped moving away when she heard that name. It brought back so many memories...

"You haven't called me that since I turned 13," Tenten smiled slightly, looking back over her shoulder.

"I thought you'd be too grown up for a cutesy name like that," Pooriin said softly.

"I am," Tenten said, her smile fading.

"...Are you sure?" Pooriin asked quietly, and continued, while Tenten turned to face her, "I mean, have you really grown..." Pooriin shook her head, then started again, "Do you remember when we were running away from the orphanage, as kids?"

"I...yeah," Tenten nodded, deciding to ignore Pooriin's immaturity insinuation for a moment, "Good times."

"Do you remember the first time we had to steal for food?"

"Of course," Tenten nodded nostalgically, "You hated it. That whole night, we had that talk..."

Tenten stopped herself, suddenly realizing what Pooriin was driving at.

* * *

(way back then...)

"Princesses don't have to steal," Pooriin grumbled, staring moodily at the apple in her hands.

She and Tenten were eight and nine years old, and had been on the road ever since escaping from their orphanage just six days earlier. Pooriin was seated on top of a barrel, and Tenten was perched on a windowsill just at the younger child's left. The two strays were hiding in a narrow alleyway, sandwiched between an abandoned house and a hat store that had already closed for the night. It was just past nightfall, and they were about to eat the meal that Tenten had lifted earlier.

"Yeah, but princesses are rich and get food on silver platters," Tenten pointed out, rummaging through their potato sack of everything they owned.

"And a beautiful palace," Pooriin added, gazing at the moon.

"And soft beds," imagined Tenten, knowing they would most likely be sleeping in a crate that night.

"And a prince to rescue her," both of them sighed in unison.

"...if only," Tenten muttered, splitting their stolen bread and offering half to Pooriin.

"I hope a prince rescues _me_," Pooriin wished, taking the bread from Tenten, "And he'd better be handsome, because he's taking his time to find me!"

"Will he bring food?" Tenten asked, always the realist, nibbling on the crust of her bread.

"Yes, and he will be handsome while he brings it!" Pooriin answered vehemently.

"Is he rich, too?" Tenten grinned.

"Handsomely!"

Tenten had to laugh, and Pooriin, who by now had realized how shallow she sounded, joined her.

"I think it's very important that he's very good-looking," Pooriin admitted with a shrug, "I mean...I don't want to end up waiting to marry a troll prince."

"Ew! That's different!" Tenten exclaimed, then laughed again.

"Then...what do _you_ want in _your_ prince?" Pooriin asked, pouting as she crossed her arms.

"He'll bring dinners that are better than an apple, half a stale loaf of bread, and a cracked bottle of milk," Tenten replied promptly, waving an arm over their humble meal.

"Tenten, seriously!"

Tenten had to think for a moment before she answered; Pooriin was the one who had a habit of daydreaming, and Tenten hadn't put much thought into her prince before.

"Um...well...I know I hate the stories where the prince ends up marrying someone else," Tenten said pensively, "So, I guess I just want a prince who's...I guess..._true_ to me. That's all."

"..." Pooriin was silent for a moment, looking down at her bread, and Tenten poked her in the ribs to get her attention.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"...your prince sounds boring..."

"Hey!"

* * *

"Wasn't Neji true?" Pooriin asked hotly, her temper showing again, "He kept liking you for years! Even when you made fun of him all the time!"

"Neji left," Tenten replied, her voice cold.

"He left for _you_!" Pooriin exclaimed, pointing accusingly, "He left so that _you_ could have a future! And he said that he would come back for _you_! He's giving everything to you, but you're going to marry Lee instead of wait for Neji?!"

"...People change, Pooriin," Tenten said emotionlessly, then added words she instantly regretted, "Besides. Neji's just a farmboy; Lee's a real prince."

Pooriin stared at Tenten, her face a mix of horror and sadness, as if the person in front of her had transformed into some kind of monster. Tenten wanted to take her words back, wanted to explain that she was being forced to marry...but no. This was Tenten's burden to bear.

"So that's it, then," a voice said harshly, and turning around, Tenten saw that Sakura had silently come up the garden path behind her.

"How long were you there?" Tenten asked, trying to change the subject.

"Doesn't matter," Sakura said icily, "What matters is that I've seen how ugly your true face really is."

"...Excuse me?" Tenten growled, taking an involuntary step forwarrd; it was one thing to be scolded by a childhood friend, and another thing to be attacked by someone she hadn't known for very long, and still didn't trust completely.

"You heard me!" Sakura exclaimed, also stepping forward, "I used to respect you! You seemed so admirable, always able to take care of yourself, and still faithful when separated from the man you loved...but now I see that you're just hideous!"

"You..." Tenten started to yell, then she bit her tongue against swearing, "You wouldn't understand!"

"Of course I wouldn't!" Sakura shouted, even though she and Tenten were standing face to face, close to each other, "You had _love_!" Sakura looked imploringly at Tenten, who only leered back, "You had _love_, Tenten, and you threw it away for a stupid crown! How could a title be more than love?"

"It's not like that, ok?!" Tenten exclaimed, finally letting her temper go, "I'm not like that!"

"Really? Then _why_ did you turn your back on your Neji so easily?" Sakura challenged.

"You..." Tenten's eyes rolled to the sky momentarily, frustrated, before focusing back on Sakura, "Trust me, you wouldn't believe me!"

"We live in a fairytale world!" Sakura argued, spreading her arms to emphasize her point, "Try me!"

Tenten hesitated for a moment, but when she saw that Sakura was serious, Tenten decided that she _would_ try her.

"Your father," Tenten said steadily, "Is forcing me to marry your brother. During the ball last month, he threatened to hurt, or even kill Asuma and Kakashi, if I didn't agree to marry Lee."

At first, Sakura did not react. For a moment, Tenten simply watched as Sakura, wide-eyed, stared at her, shocked. Then suddenly, Tenten found herself facing the flowers beside her with ringing ears.

"Sakura, you slapped Tenten!" Pooriin exclaimed, hurrying to her best friend's side; Kiba even ran to step in-between Tenten and Sakura, causing the latter to move back, but Sakura continued as if neither of them were there.

"You were right," Sakura said to Tenten disgustedly, her lower lip curling up, "You're unbelievable."

With that, Sakura stalked away, leaving Tenten, Kiba and Pooriin alone in the garden. After a stunned silence, Pooriin put a hand on Tenten's arm, getting her attention.

"..._I_ believe you," Pooriin said softly, and Kiba nodded to show he agreed.

Tenten turned to Pooriin, a sad smile on her face; for once, she didn't bother hiding her hurt. Surprising herself, she realized that she felt better now that Pooriin knew why she was engaged to Lee. And she was definitely glad Pooriin was going to support her.

"...Thanks, Rini-chan."

* * *

_Esperwen-_ Intense chapter and scene of intensity! Ooo! (takes a deep breath) Wow, it was intense. Excuse me while I pull myself out of the story...(another deep breath)

So...how was it? Too cheesy? Something lacking? What? Tell me! I'll never improve as a writer if you don't bug me! Please review! I need an excuse to put off marking Kumon papers... Review and there will be fortune cookies!


	10. They're Gone!

_Esperwen- _AAAH...(teardrop) One review! But 28 hits on the chapter...I don't understand! Did I lose readers with that chapter? (saaaaaadneeeesss...!)

Ew...upon reading the chapter over, I found three typos. Shame on me. I fixed that, but still. ...One review! Esperwen is saaaad! ...I've been reading too much 'Ouran High School Host Club'; I'm becoming overdramatic. Time to post chapter 10! Hopefully editing it now will soothe my nerves...

* * *

-Chapter Ten: "They're gone!"-

For the next month, Tenten found herself ignored first by Sakura, then eventually by Ino, when Pooriin finally convinced Tenten to explain to everyone the reason why she was marrying Lee. But Tenten was grateful for the fact that Pooriin, Michiko, Shino and Kiba were now supporting her. Even the caterpillar that was always on Ino's shoulder make the effort to wave at Tenten every time they passed each other; he was an ally, too.

King Gai and Lee, however, managed to remain painfully unaware of the friction that had developed between the five princesses. Especially Lee.

"I am so glad that we are to take part in youthful marriage, Tenten-chan!" Lee always told her, at least once a day, "You are not the precious blossom that my dear sister, Sakura, is, but you have your own youthful beauty!"

"Thanks," Tenten would reply through clenched teeth, but Lee never noticed, somehow.

"I admire your patience," Michiko said solemnly, while she accompanied Tenten during another of her hiding stints.

The two honorary princesses were at the palace stables, in an empty stall, far from the stable entrance so they were less likely to be heard or seen. Tenten was waving around a horse switch, pretending she still had her stick and was fighting off dragons with Neji. Michiko was sitting nearby, balanced on the door of the stall, while Shino hovered behind in the aisle, both acting as lookout and ready to catch Michiko if she should fall.

Tenten was a little jealous, glance a few times at the young couple in the corner of her eye. They were still together, able to be near each other. Shino was willing to follow and protect Michiko wherever she went, and Michiko still loved him, even though he was in the form of thousands of bugs. But here was Tenten, doomed to marry a man she didn't love, and left alone while the man that she _did_ love was out having his own adventure. It wasn't fair.

"...Oh, I almost forgot!" Michiko said suddenly, snapping Tenten out of her thoughts.

The dark girl reached into a rucksack she was carrying and pulled out a package wrapped in brown paper. She opened the paper at one side, took one of its contents out, then offered the rest to Tenten.

"I made these for you," Michiko said, holding out the package.

Tenten accepted the gift, and looking inside, the older girl saw at least five perfect, if not a bit squashed, sticks of dango.

_That's right,_ Tenten thought, taking out a stick and examining the dumplings closer, _The sorceress that cursed Shino told Michiko to make dango. So, ever since she arrived at the castle, Michiko's been in the kitchens, making these things. ...I hope this tastes ok; Michiko's first tries were pretty...horrible..._

"I think I'm getting better," Michiko murmured, as if she could sense Tenten's thoughts, breaking off a bit of dango so she could share with Shino.

"...It's great!" Tenten exclaimed, after gathering the courage to taste one, "Michiko, it's really good! You seriously made this with your eyes covered?"

"What? Of course!" Michiko answered, colouring slightly and jumping down from her perch.

Tenten was surprised; she realized from her friend's tone of voice that she wasn't blushing because of the compliment she had received. And Tenten noticed that Michiko's hands were balled into fists. At that moment, Tenten thought she heard thunder in the background, but looking out, she saw that it was sunny, so storm sounds didn't make any sense right then and there.

"Michi, what-"

"How can you say that?!" Michiko snapped, startling Tenten, "Of _course_ my eyes were covered! If I use my eyes any time soon, Shino's going to be stuck this way!"

Michiko swung an arm back to motion to the bug swarm behind her, but instead she hit her hand against the stall wall, and then the door; immediately, the swarm flew to land on Michiko's shoulders and arms, trying to help. Tenten winced when she heard how loud of a bang Michiko's hand made; the younger girl yelped, then cradled her injured hand to her chest with a whimper.

"...Um, are...are you ok?" Tenten stammered, when Michiko didn't speak after a moment. She reached out at touched Michiko's shoulder, reminding her friend that she was still there.

"Yes," Michiko said softly, then in a humbled voice, "I'm...sorry."

"For what?" Tenten almost chuckled; the bugs on Michiko's injured arm moved aside so Tenten could take her hand and look it over, "You didn't hurt the stall."

"No...for yelling," Michiko explained softly, a couple of her usual tears slipping out from under her black blindfold, "I'm...I want Shino back so bad. And for the year to be over. I guess...maybe like the way you probably want Neji back."

Tenten blinked when she heard that; she always thought that since Shino was always around her, Michiko was happy. But apparently, even though Shino was so close, it felt to Michiko like her blindness and his curse kept him miles and miles away. All at once, Tenten felt a little guilty about her earlier, envious thoughts.

" ...you're really lucky, you know?" Michiko said, suddenly.

"How?" Tenten scoffed, trying to massage away a bruise that had formed on Michiko's knuckles, "I have to marry a total weirdo. And if Neji's found out about my engagement, he's probably pretty angry right about now. I mean...I told him I'd wait."

"Neji doesn't get mad. Just...hurt and sulky," Michiko half-smiled, "And with you, he probably won't sulk. He'll frown a lot but he'll listen while you explain _why_ you're engaged, and then you can figure stuff out together. He's like that."

"I guess," Tenten nodded grudgingly, "But I still don't see how I'm lucky."

"...Neji isn't cursed," Michiko pointed out gently, "You don't have to see him in agony every day."

"How do you know he won't be agonized when he learns that I'm going to get married?" Tenten argued.

"Because the first thing he's going to do is look for you. He'll want an explanation," Michiko said, knowing her 'brother' well, "And when he finds you, of course he'll believe you didn't want to get married. And then..."

Michiko's voice trailed off, and she 'looked' to the side, not wanting to go on. Tenten narrowed her eyes at her friend, then let go of Michiko's bruised hand, ready for her to continue speaking.

"...and then what, Michi?" Tenten prompted quietly, raising an eyebrow and leaning towards Michiko.

"...and then you could run," Michiko whispered, Shino's swarm buzzing in agreement.

Tenten stared at Michiko, finally understanding what Michiko meant by 'lucky'. Michiko thought Tenten didn't have any boundaries for how she had to solve her problems with marrying Lee and being reunited with Neji. Now that Asuma and Kakashi were safe and far away, Tenten could technically do anything to get out of her problems...including run away.

"I can't run, Michiko," Tenten sighed, shaking her head slowly, "Asuma and Kakshi might be gone...but what about you guys? Pooriin wants to be a princess, and this castle is a safe place for you until you can use sight again, so you guys are pretty much stuck here. And Gai knows that I'm looking for Hinata; if I disappear, one of the first things he could do is track Hinata down and take her hostage if he finds her first."

"Then we'll _all_ leave the castle," Michiko said, opening her hands to Tenten helplessly.

Tenten opened her mouth to speak, then stopped when she saw Michiko was shaking; instead, she put her arms around her friend and hugged her. That little sting of jealousy she had felt earlier was completely gone, now. Michiko might never talk about Shino's curse, but Tenten now realized that it wasn't because she was having an easy time. It was because Michiko wanted to hide her dramatic flare to keep herself from becoming a burden. Rather than forcing Tenten to take care of her, Michiko was trying to help Tenten, be it by hiding the pain she felt because of Shino's curse, or by making little gifts of dango.

"You..." Tenten couldn't help smiling a little, when she pulled away from Michiko, "You got that protective streak from Neji, didn't you?"

"I..." Michiko started to comment, then she half-smiled, "I guess."

"...I'm fine," Tenten said, flicking the horse switch self-consciously, "Don't worry about me."

"I will when you stop worrying about me," Michiko countered easily, but suddenly, she frowned and turned towards the stall's opening, as if listening.

"What is it?" Tenten asked tersely, gripping her package of dango tightly.

"It's the air. It doesn't..._feel_ right," Michiko answered, completely serious, "And Shino says Pooriin's looking for you. You should find her. Something's wrong."

"Ok," Tenten nodded, putting the horse switch back where she found it before taking Michiko by the elbow, "Let's go."

()

Shortly after leaving the stables, Tenten, Shino and Michiko found the other royal heirs and siblings in the throne room. To their dismay, they discovered that everyone was in disarray. Normally cheerful Pooriin was sitting down on a step to the thrones' pedestal, close to tears, and nearby, Lee was in shock. Ino was at one side of the room, in hysterics, and at the other side, Prince Sasuke had a terrifying, angry look on his face while he leaned against a column, brooding. Tenten looked at Michiko strangely; how had she known something was wrong in the air?

_Could it be the...dango?_ Tenten thought, glancing at the brown paper package in her hand, then shook the idea out of her head, _No way._

"What's going on? Why is Ino freaking out?" Michiko asked worriedly, letting Shino lead her away from Tenten's side, "Pooriin, where are you?"

"Kiba's gone!" Pooriin moaned, distractedly twisting a handkerchief that Sasuke must have given her; Tenten could see the red and white fan that was his family's crest embroidered on the cloth, "And it's all my fault...!"

"I found you," Michiko breathed when she touched Pooriin's shoulder, then she sat down and linked arms with her.

"What do you mean, 'gone'?" Tenten asked, sitting down at Pooriin's other side.

"Remember that thing I told you guys a couple nights ago?" Pooriin asked, looking at both of the ex-farmgirls, and when they nodded, she continued, "I took Shino's advice, but when I did..."

"A witch took Sakura-chan and Prince Kiba away!" Ino finished in a shrill voice, looking like a stranger with dishevelled hair, "I saw everything!"

"...Purple hair..." Lee said dazedly, "...She had purple hair..."

"It was the same witch from before!" Pooriin exclaimed, coming close to hyperventilating, and Michiko put an arm around her shoulders, "It was definitely her-"

"She's not a witch," Sasuke cut in bluntly, "She's a sorceress."

"And how is that any different?!" Ino shrieked, whirling around to point at Sasuke, and almost throwing off the caterpillar on her shoulder in the process, "They're magical and they're evil!"

"No, not evil," Michiko and Sasuke said at the same time, but Sasuke let Michiko explain, "Witches go out of their way to wreak havoc. Sorceresses are just nosy."

"How is kidnapping my lovely sister and a smelly dog simply 'nosy'?!" Lee exclaimed, finally coming out of his stupor.

"His name is 'Kiba' and he's _not_ smelly!" Pooriin snapped, then added quietly after a moment of thought, "Ok, maybe just a little."

"Here, have some dango," Tenten said, proffering the brown paper to Pooriin, "You'll feel a little better."

"I don't know; that's all Shino knows," Michiko answered Lee, with a small sigh and shake of her head.

..._Wait, how does Sasuke know that sorceress isn't evil?_ Tenten thought, letting Pooriin take a second stick of dango while she watched the prince stand in the shadows, _Who _is_ this guy?_

But she knew that the answer to that question would take time, if it would come at all, and rather than focusing on the prince, Tenten looked around the room, trying to think of what to do next. The people missing were just Sakura, one of two people that were still mad at Tenten, and a stranger that Tenten hardly knew. None of the original farmers were missing, she was glad to see; Tenten hadn't broken her promise to Neji any further.

But then Tenten looked at Pooriin. The younger girl was so upset...and it was actually showing, for a change. The tomboy-ish girl also put an arm around Pooriin, trying to lend her some strength; she hated seeing Pooriin like this. When she was sad, Pooriin acted angry or sullen; she never directly expressed it.

In the corner of her eye, Tenten saw King Gai enter the room, a haggard look on his face. He began talking to Sasuke and Ino, but Tenten didn't pay much attention. Her oldest friend was in pain; why should she care about the ramblings of an insane old man and two prissy royals?

"Hey..." Tenten gently tweaked the end of Pooriin's nose, "If you keep this up any longer, I think even Michiko's gonna get tired of crying."

"No," Michiko protested with a teary sniff, resting her head against the shortest princess' shoulder, "I'm an emotionally fragile child. This is what I do best."

"Who told you that?" Pooriin asked, raising an eyebrow, her cloudy look lifting just slightly.

"Kakashi," Michiko answered with a shrug, "You were there."

"Oh...I remember," Pooriin rolled her eyes, her sense of humour showing a little.

"That's better," Tenten smiled, tweaking Pooriin's nose again, "That's the Rini-chan we know and love."

"Stop playing with my nose!" Pooriin ordered, pushing Tenten's hand away; Tenten grinned, then got serious again for a moment.

"You sure she had purple hair?" Tenten asked in a low voice.

"Positive," Pooriin nodded, "I saw her face; it's the same witch from before. And I'm _still_ calling her a witch; I don't care what Sasuke and Shino say."

"_Please,_ Father!"

Pooriin and Tenten looked up at Ino's outburst, while Michiko turned her head to listen better. There appeared to be a clashing of opinions within the Royal Family.

"What's going on?" Tenten asked, getting up and stepping forward.

"I'm going after Sakura," Sasuke answered, his red eyes glinting coldly, "I think I know where the sorceress took her."

"But Father won't let me go too!" Ino exclaimed, then turned the king again, "Father!"

"No," Gai shook his head, "Prince Sasuke is trained for combat, and will be accompanied by three of my special guard. Ino-chan, you are a princess with no fighting ability, and you would be the only lady on the trip. Such a thing is both dangerous and indecent."

"I'll go with them," Tenten volunteered suddenly, "That way, Ino isn't the only girl. Besides, I've been looking for a magician with purple hair, and this is probably her."

"Now, hold on!" Lee exclaimed, waving his arms in front of his body, "This is madness! (A/N: Madness? This...is...SPARTA!! ...sorry, had a moment.) This is not as simple a thing as going on a journey to pick up my dear sister and Kiba in another, friendly country. Prince Sasuke wishes to go on a dangerous quest, and he knows he may not return. Surely you all understand that the sorceress has great magical power!"

Shino buzzed something loudly, gathering the entire room's attention, and Michiko cleared her throat before translating.

"He said, 'Shoudn't you be going too, Prince Lee? Sakura is, after all, your sister.' And..." Michiko braced herself visibly but still added, "I agree. You should at least be encouraging them, Lee."

"...this is true!" Lee said loudly after a brief moment of silent thought, "I had spoken to protect you, but you have reminded me of my brotherly duty, and that actions speak louder than words!"

Lee turned to his father with a stiffened resolve, and all present could almost see tiny flames lit up in the young prince's eyes.

_That guy...is so weird,_ Tenten thought, rolling her eyes.

"Father, I-" Lee started.

"Forbid you to go!" King Gai said adamantly, completely extinguishing Lee's eye-flames, "Lee. You are my heir. I cannot allow you to go on such a dangerous quest. And Tenten," Gai turned to the girl in question, "Your wedding is in just two weeks. You must also stay."

"No way!" Tenten wanted to yell, but before she even opened her mouth, someone else spoke.

"Then I'll go in her place!" Pooriin jumped in, hitting a fist to the palm of her other hand and standing up decisively, "First that witch took Hinata away, and now Kiba! If anything, I have the most reason to go!"

"Pooriin, you don't have any real battle experience," Sasuke said, almost annoyed; Tenten guessed that the last thing he wanted was a handful of princesses to babysit.

"Yes, I do!" Pooriin retorted, "I'm not lying when I say Tenten and I used to live on the street! I can help protect Ino, too!"

"And let me go!" Ino said again, a slightly petulant tone in her voice, "Pooriin needs another girl to go with her, and _somebody_ from the family has to go!"

"This isn't a vacation," Sasuke warned both Ino and Pooriin solemnly, "I'm serious about saying that we could get hurt. There are many dangers on the road; it's nothing like your sheltered valley, out there."

"I _know_ I can watch over me and Ino," Pooriin insisted, "We'll be fine! We'll stay out of your way."

"Well then. If you're so confident in your abilities," King Gai crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Pooriin, "_None_ of my special guard will accompany you. You are on your own."

A stunned silence followed. Was the king truly insane? Without that promised Special Guard, there were only Sasuke, Ino, and Pooriin. Just three royals to go rescue Kiba and Sakura.

"...Fine."

Again, all present turned to Michiko, who had spoken.

"Shino wants to go," Michiko said, keeping her head down but speaking in even, though quiet, tones, "He has battle and travel experience, so he will be of help to the quest. Prince Sasuke can't be the only one travelling who has fought mythical creatures before. And if they find a beast that Prince Sasuke has never seen or heard of, Shino may know how to deal with it."

"But Michiko..." Ino shook her head, "You're crippled without him."

"Not completely," Michiko pouted, with a slight toss of her head, "And I'll be staying here, with Tenten. The Lotus Castle is pretty safe, and besides...Shino's the only one left who can go, and who would be completely focused on looking for Hinata. And if anyone should be rescued right now, it's her."

()

"That was a very brave thing you did, Michiko," Pooriin said solemnly, when they all left the throne room after finalising their plans with King Gai, "I really admire your sacrifice."

"What do you mean?" Michiko asked, walking with one hand touching a wall, and the other holding onto Tenten's elbow, "I'm going. Remember what I said earlier, Tenten? We're _all_ going to leave the castle."

Tenten and Pooriin exchanged surprised looks, then Tenten slapped her forehead while Pooriin gave Michiko a quick hug. Glancing around, Tenten made sure Sasuke and Ino were out of earshot; chances were, if they knew Michiko and Tenten were planning on tricking Gai, they would not cooperate.

"How?" Pooriin breathed, getting enthusiastic about this new conspiracy.

"Well...you have to pack extra clothes for us, to start-" Michiko began, but that wasn't what Pooriin meant.

"No, no-no," Pooriin interrupted, shaking Michiko's hand to get her attention, "I mean...how are we even going to get you two out of the castle?"

"Oh. Actually..."

Tenten and Pooriin waited expectantly, but their faces fell when Michiko shook her head.

"...I still have to work on that. But don't worry. We have a week before you leave."

* * *

_Esperwen-_ Yaaaay! ...What, were you thinking, "Oh, great. Now Tenten's going to sit around waiting in the Lotus Castle. Oh well; at least it's not a farm." ? Because of _course_ I'm not making her sit around, again. That would suck.

Please review! ...Please. ..._please!_ (teardrop) My inbox is so empty without review notifications! D:


	11. Getting Out

_Esperwen- _Sorry, I'm a little late, everyone! But random appointments that I had to attend popped up, so here I am, posting a day late. Thanks for the five people who reviewed; it made my day! I was worried I lost readers after the dramatic chapter... Anyway, I have more stuff to type up, so here's chapter 11!

* * *

-Chapter Eleven: Getting out-

"What to do...what to do...?"

Tenten paced restlessly, while Pooriin sat on the edge of an old stone well. Again, Tenten was hiding from servants, and Pooriin was accompanying her. Her plan to not help with preparations so that King Gai would postpone the wedding wasn't working, but Tenten didn't have any other ideas, so she continued to escape wedding planners. And until they had to change locations or got caught, the two princesses were trying to think of a way for Michiko and Tenten to escape the castle; they had only three more days until the rescue party would leave.

"Ok, um, how about this," Pooriin raised a hand for attention, "We dig a tunnel from the stables, to the outside of the valley, and the day after Sasuke, Ino, Shino and I leave, you and Michiko steal two horses, use the tunnel to escape and catch up to us!"

"...a tunnel?" Tenten rolled her eyes, "Pooriin, did you think about how long it would take to dig a tunnel that long? There's not enough time for that."

"Ok...then, um...how about..." Pooriin scratched her head, then motioned towards the castle, "You _could_ tip off some guards to catapult you and Michiko out."

"Hm...that's an idea..."

Pooriin looked up at Tenten, expecting a joking smile, only to see that the older girl had a hand on her chin, and was eyeing the Lotus Castle's catapults thoughtfully.

"You..._do_ know that...I was...kidding," Pooriin said haltingly, a little disturbed with Tenten's serious expression.

"Of course I know that!" Tenten answered, turning to give Pooriin an exasperated look, "What do you take me for?"

"I was just making sure," Pooriin raised her hands defensively, palms toward Tenten, but her expression changed from teasing to bewildered, when something behind Tenten caught her eye.

"...What is it?"

Tenten raised an eyebrow at her best friend, then turned around to see what Pooriin was staring at, half expecting Pooriin to be faking it and nothing would be there. But there _was_ something in the air...something strange. At first glance it was only a handful of leaves, but upon further inspection, Tenten saw that it was definitely moving on its own.

"What...the heck...?" Tenten started to say, not really sure what she was seeing.

"What _is_ it?" Pooriin asked, getting up slowly to look closer.

"I don't know! Is it..."

"Is it coming toward us?!"

"...It _is_!"

"Whoa...it's moving kinda fast..."

"...Pooriin, watch it..."

"I think...it's-"

"It's going to hit you!"

"Too fast!"

"_Rini!_"

()

Two guards stood at the top of the Lotus Castle's wall, just over the drawbridge. Standing tall, they waved to Princess Ino while she, Prince Sasuke, and Princess Pooriin continued down the road, leaving the castle to begin their quest to rescue Princess Sakura and the Dog-Prince Kiba.

"I can't believe it," one guard murmured, squinting at the small, retreating party, "I just can't."

"Yeah, I can't either," his companion nodded, "Ino actually packed four huge trunks of clothes. Poor Pooriin-chan and Prince Sasuke; they really have their work cut out for them, taking care of her."

"No, not that," the first guard shook his head, still waving an arm, "I meant how...defenceless they are. I mean, there's just three of them. ...well, three people and some bugs."

"Oh, you meant that. ...I wouldn't worry too much," the second guard shrugged, "I hear Prince Sasuke and Shino are terrific fighters. And Pooriin-chan trained with Tenten; I'm sure Princess Ino's in good hands," he glanced at his comrade then added, "Y'know, Princess Ino probably can't see you anymore. You can stop waving, now."

"Really?" the younger knight sighed as he let his arm drop, "Oh. Phew."

"Yeah, poor you."

The younger guard rolled his eyes, then found himself looking at one of the castle towers. That was where the royal chambers were, he knew. "You know who I really pity, though..."

"Yeah. The two who got left behind," the older knight nodded, rotating his arms to loosen his shoulders before standing up straight and at attention again, "Michiko-chan and Tenten-kun wouldn't even leave their rooms after saying goodbye."

"Can you blame them? Both of them really wanted to find that kidnapped friend of theirs."

"I know," the guard nodded, "But...anyway," he shook his head an stood straighter, "That the Royals' problem; protecting them is ours. Back to work."

()

Pooriin sat on a barrel, swaying slightly with the questors' wagon as it went over every bump and into every pothole in the dirt road. They had needed a fair-sized wagon; they needed to transport Ino's trunks as well as a good month's worth of provisions. King Gai may have left them fairly vulnerable, but at least they would have a good meal before they got killed by highwaymen. They had two kegs of some kind of cordial, a large sack of breads and cheeses, and another sack of dried and salted meat. On top of that, each of them had a good-sized purse of gold for when they ran out of food (or if it was spoiled before they could get to eating it), for a good night's rest in an inn, or for whatever emergency they might come across.

Pooriin then turned to look at her companions. Sasuke was the one who held the reins for the horse that pulled the wagon; he seemed lost in his own thoughts while he sat and occasionally flicked the horse's reins. Ino was posed prettily while she rode side-saddle on her own horse, keeping in step with the wagon so that she was always right beside Sasuke. She was trying to catch Sasuke's eye, but Chouji, ever-present on her shoulder, was the only one attempting to initiate a conversation with her. And Shino hovered at the wagon's rear, defending against potential enemies, taking his job seriously, as _usual_. Pooriin stifled a yawn; she was barely out of the Lotus Valley and already bored. If only Tenten or Michiko were around...

"Hey."

As soon as he spoke, all present turned attentively to Sasuke. The secretive, handsome prince, however, barely barely acknowledged them as he spoke.

"We're out of sight of the castle," the warrior mage said, keeping his red eyes on the road, "Move."

Pooriin and Shino needed no second bidding. The girl pounced on a red trunk, while the swarm went after one of the black trunks. Ino and Chouji watched curiously as the other travellers opened the trunks; Pooriin fumbled with buckles while Shino struggled with heavy, tight clasps. However, both managed to open the trunks; Pooriin pulled out of the large case a gasping Tenten, and Shino helped up Michiko, who by now was quite red-faced.

"About time!" Tenten exclaimed, bending over and leaning her hands on her knees.

"I love...air," Michiko panted, gulping in huge breaths, "I'm never...doing that...(gasp) ever again!"

* * *

"_Rini!_"

Tenten tried to reach Pooriin in time, but whatever was hurtling towards them still collided with Pooriin and threw her backwards. For a split second, Tenten thought her friend was going to fall down the well, but thankfully, Pooriin grabbed one of the well's posts, managing to save herself.

"Aw, yuck! It's on me!"

Convulsively, Pooriin brushed a handful of green leaves off of her face. The pile landed on the ground with a splat, and when it stayed still for a moment, Tenten stepped forward gingerly, stick in hand. She wanted to poke the leaves, but she was worried it might attack.

Suddenly, the leaves moved, and a small something with huge, grey eyes poked its head out. As a reflex, while both she and Pooriin shrieked, Tenten lashed out at the something, trying to hit it with her stick.

"Whoa!"

The creature did a neat sideways flip, narrowly avoiding the stick and still managing to land on its many feet. Finally, Pooriin and Tenten realized that their surprise visitor was a fuzzy, green caterpillar.

"Easy!" he held up his front four legs up and waved them defensively, "It's ok! It's me!"

"Oh!"

Pooriin grasped a hand over her heart, relieved, and Tenten breathed a sigh, now feeling completely spent of energy.

"Chouji! Sorry!" Tenten apologized, glad the little guy had such good reflexes, _I could have killed him!_

"It's all right!" Chouji shook his tiny head, seeming confident but with a hint of shakiness in his voice, "I'm still alive. There's no problem!"

"That was close," Pooriin breathed, then sighed, "I'm so tense...I'm gonna die when I'm 30."

"Don't say that," Chouji chided, shaking a small fist at Pooriin "It might come true."

"Yeah...wait!" Tenten shook her head to clear it; she was still a little stunned from earlier, "I am _weirded out_! Just, give me a moment..." she took a deep breath, then spoke again once she had collected herself, "...alright, I'm ok now. What did you need, Chouji?"

"Well, I've got a message from Princess Ino," the caterpillar answered, turning back to his leaves while he spoke, "She said she's got four trunks ready for the trip."

"...Oh really?"

Pooriin looked at Tenten and saw that the older girl was gripping her stick tightly with a decidedly sour look on her face.

"Well, good for her," Tenten growled, "Y'know, I get that she's mad that I badmouthed her dad, but she doesn't have to rub in the fact that she's free and I'm not! I mean, that is just _so_-"

"What was that, Chouji?"

When Tenten scowled at her for interrupting her rant, Pooriin explained, "He said something, but you were yelling, so I couldn't hear."

"I wasn't yelling! My...voice was just raised..." Tenten said, crossing her arms and ending in a subdued voice.

"The princess wants you to send up your clothes to fill...maybe one third of a trunk, each. The trunks are five feet long, two feet wide, and two feet deep," Chouji informed Tenten calmly.

After a moment of thought, Tenten's face heated up when she realized her mistake. Slowly, she went down to her knees so that she was closer to the caterpillar's level; even then, Chouji kept working with his leaves, not looking at Tenten.

"Chouji, I-"

"Princess Ino also wanted to apologize," Chouji added, talking in quiet tones, "She says that she believes you now, about her father. So, she hopes you'll start to talk to her again."

"Of course," Tenten nodded, embarassed by her display of temper, now.

"Great," Chouji turned to Tenten, somehow able to smile with his mandibles, "Now, I need some help."

The caterpillar lifted his leaves up onto his back, and both girls realized what they were for.

"Chouji, you made..." Pooriin raised an eyebrow while pointing unsurely at Ino's little messenger, "...leaf wings?"

"That I did! Shino helped!" Chouji reached around to grab several handholds he had sewn onto the leaves; now he could flap his leaf wings, "And they work! ...sort of."

"Yeah, your landings are fantastic," Tenten couldn't help saying.

"It's all right; I'm still alive!" Chouji laughed, turning his back to the girls and facing the castle, "Now, could one of you give me a boost and throw me?"

* * *

Ino's plan was carried out on the day the rescue team left, and had turned out a success. After saying their 'goodbyes' to their friends, Tenten and Michiko had gone up to their rooms, where Shino had been waiting for them. One at a time, the bug swarm lifted them down the tower to where the wagon was, unattended except for Sasuke, who was tending to the horse. Both boys then shut Tenten and Michiko in the mostly empty trunks, using the clothing they had sent to Ino for padding. By the time Pooriin and Ino arrived with King Gai, Lee, several guards and most of the castle's inhabitants who were seeing the questors off, Tenten and Michiko were safely out of sight, ready to be smuggled out of the castle.

()

Tenten breathed deeply, now very appreciative of fresh air; the trunk had had knotholes, but was still very stuffy. Smiling a little, she turned to the only birth-princess present.

"Hey. Ino?"

Turning away from trying to get Sasuke's attention, the platinum-blonde princess raised her eyebrows at Tenten questioningly.

"Great plan. ...thanks."

()

The same evening of the day that a questing wagon left the Lotus Castle, a young man marched across a familiar field, heading for a quaint, but very welcoming farmhouse.

"Home..." Neji breathed, a passing breeze blowing his long hair back from his face as he smiled at the house across the field, "It's good to be back."

Our hero was now an official Guardian-in-Training, and was granted permission to roam the countries on his own, though he was required to send a report back to the Citadel every two months. After spending a month with the Master Guardians, training with his new, charmed weapons, Neji was allowed to go on his travels.

His weapons were actually quite simple. When the Master Guardians saw that Neji fought best with his bare hands, they gave him special, black guantlets. These were special gloves made of some kind of black metal; now when Neji hit things, the force of his blows were significantly greater. He had learned to control his newfound power, and had even learned how to 'internalize' his hits, so that his energy went into objects, rather than onto them.

Now that he was able to do as he pleased, Neji was happy with this new freedom. And now he was on his way to get Tenten, and they could travel together. Finally...It had been three months, but it had been worth it.

But as Neji neared the farmhouse, he realized something was amiss. There were no lights on...no candles, no fire...nothing. Feeling a growing sense of apprehension, Neji started running back to the house.

_It's not that long after sunset,_ Neji thought, frowning, _Hinata and Michiko would usually be reading...or Tenten, Pooriin, Asuma and Kakashi would be talking by the fire. Where is everyone?_

When Neji reached the door, he saw a paper nailed there, which he tore off immediately to hold closer to his eyes so he could read it in the darkness. The first part of the note had been washed away by rain or faded by the sun, but the last couple lines he could still manage to make out.

_...at the Lotus Castle.  
-Tenten_

_...what the hell? _Neji thought, glaring into the East where he knew the Lotus Castle was located, _Why didn't you wait for me?!_

* * *

_Esperwen-_ Does everybody get what happened? I'm worried the writing here was too disjointed and weird. If you have questions, please review or message me so I can answer it and fix this chapter! I'm just so worried that nobody will understand what happened...like in "Pirates of the Carribbean 3"...

S'yeah, thanks for reading; sorry for the delay! Please review! I like reviews.


	12. The Angel's Whisper

_Esperwen- _Wow...I'm posting comparatively often this week! And on time, for a change! Summer break is great, isn't it? Granted, there is a giant party or wedding I have to go to every week, but that's ok! Life is still good!

Anyway, here is the lovely chapter 12, ready to be read and reviewed!

* * *

-Chapter Twelve: The Angel's Whisper-

"Are we there, yet?"

Standing up in the wagon and facing the road ahead, Tenten clenched her stick tightly, but swallowed her temper nonetheless.

"No, Pooriin, not yet," Tenten sighed, looking around at the beautiful scenery around her and trying to enjoy it. But they had been on the road for a good two months, and today's lovely landscape was starting to look a lot like the lovely landscape they had been passing for the last seven weeks. And the chilly, early winter air was starting to annoy her; frost had started showing on the ground in the mornings, and she knew it was going to snow, soon.

"Asking every few minutes isn't going to get us there any faster," Sasuke grumbled, holding the wagon horse's reins as usual.

"Y'know, you are _so_ right, Prince Sasuke," Ino breathed, riding her horse, "I was about to tell-"

"Shut up," Sasuke cut in, and there was silence except for creaking wheels and clopping horseshoes, again.

Tenten hid a smile when she heard that, turning her face away to 'admire the sunset'.

_And the princess is burned again_, Tenten thought to herself, half amused.

Tenten supposed she should feel bad for laughing, but she shrugged it off. She didn't enjoy the fact that Sasuke was being mean and rude, just the part where Ino had to remember that Sasuke liked Sakura, not her. Besides, Ino had to remember that they were travelling because they had to rescue people, not flirt.

"Hey, Michiko, do you want me to describe the sunset to you?" Tenten heard Pooriin say.

Tenten looked over at Pooriin and Michiko, who were also on the wagon; Michiko was seated on the wagon's floor, leaning her back on the wooden railing, and Pooriin was sitting on a trunk. Pooriin, Tenten and occasionally Chouji often took turns describing their surroundings to the blindfolded girl. She was constantly asking them to, wanting to be able to remember more of this quest than the fact that the wooden wagon was not very comfortable to sit on for more than 3 hours. Unfortunately for her, Shino's idea of a description of a sunset was, "The sun is going down, there are 4 clouds, 3 of which are cumulonimbus; one is stratus. The sky is mainly orange. ...that is all."

"No, I'm fine..."

"...really? You haven't asked in almost two days," Pooriin put a hand on Mihciko's forehead, "Are you feeling ok?"

Tenten laughed aloud at Pooriin's teasing, but when Michiko irritably pushed Pooriin's hand away, she stopped.

"What was that?" Tenten asked, frowning as she stepped towards her friends.

"N...nothing..." Michiko mumbled, slowly moving across the wagon until she sat with her legs dangling over the edge of the wagon, then after a moment of silence, ducked her head, "I'm sorry..."

"Michi, what's wrong?" Pooriin asked, sitting beside her friend, while Tenten kept her distance.

"I'm...fine," Michiko shook her head, "Just tired. We've been on the road for a while."

"...ok," Pooriin nodded unsurely, then gave Tenten an unconvinced look.

Understanding her friend's unspoken words, Tenten walked to the front of the wagon, and squatted down so that she was level with Sasuke.

"You realize we've been outside for a full two months?" Tenten asked in a low voice.

"You want to stay at an inn tonight," Sasuke deadpanned, at a completely normal volume.

Tenten felt a nerve throbbing, but she ignored it. The emotionally fragile child was starting to crack.

"Just one night, Sasuke," Tenten insisted, still speaking quietly.

Sasuke looked sternly at Tenten, then moved his eyes pointedly to someone behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, Tenten saw Ino chatting away with Chouji. Of course. Ino had been bugging Sasuke to stay in an inn, ever since they had left the Lotus Valley.

"You're not doing it for her," Tenten said, turning back to face Sasuke, "Ino will probably get all huffy that you helped Michiko out, rather than pamper the princess when _she_ wanted it."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows, then nodded thoughtfully.

"That could be fun..."

"Hey! I can hear you!" Ino exclaimed, pouting indignantly.

Sasuke exchanged looks with Tenten, then shook the horse's reins so that she sped up to a trot before announcing, "Everyone, let's stay at an inn tonight."

()

That evening, the seven questors found themselves in a small town, trying to choose between two inns.

"We can stay in either 'The Cat and Cheese', or 'Angel's Whisper'," Sasuke said authoritatively, reading off of the inns' signs, while the travelling party stood in the street with him, "We'll take a vote between them."

"What about the place two blocks down?" Pooriin asked.

"Which one?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow, skeptical that he had missed an inn.

"I think it was called, 'The Cream and Crop'?" Pooriin said hopefully.

"That was a pub," Tenten sighed.

"Oh..."

"I say 'The Cat and Cheese'," Michiko requested.

"No, 'Angel's Whisper'," Ino disagreed with a sniff, "I hate cheese."

"I like cheese," Pooriin said, stepping to the side of the street closer to Michiko and their choice.

"I like angels," Tenten said, sliding over to Ino's side.

"Angels have wings, so I'm there," Chouji said, and Shino carried the caterpillar to that side, also joining Ino's side.

"Voting is 1003 to two," Ino announced with a grin, counting each of Shino's bugs as one vote each, "Let's go!"

"Fine," Sasuke rolled his eyes, forced to comply with Ino, and the others followed the princess into the inn.

"Us bugs will stay outside with Sasuke and the horses," Chouji said, while the swarm placed him on Ino's horse's head, "Y'know...so we don't scare anyone."

"Ok, we'll come and get you soon," Tenten nodded, before hurrying to catch up to the other girls.

Upon entering the inn, the four princesses found themselves in a humble, but cosy, room. Ino found herself reminded of a cottage King Gai kept by the seaside, while Tenten and Pooriin thought about the farm.

"Good evening and welcome to The Angel's Whisper! How may I help you this fine evening, milady?" the elderly innkeeper asked, smiling at Ino when she came to the front desk.

"Actually..."

Michiko nudged her way to the front, pulling a bewildered Pooriin with her, much to Ino's annoyance.

"We're joining two of our friends here; two travelling Guardians-in-training," Michiko said cheerfully, smiling disarmingly and elbowing Pooriin to do the same.

"Yeah, two Guard..." Pooriin's smile didn't slip, but suddenly she lost her voice.

"There's just two of them, but they asked for two large rooms, remember?" Michiko prompted, waiting expectantly, "They're waiting for us."

_No way..._Tenten thought, standing silently at the back.

"...Ah, you mean the two Training Champions!" the old man nodded emphatically after a moment of thought, "Right! One of them is out at the moment, but the other is in the common room right now. I only provide one key for each room, so why don't you ask your Champion friend for a key?"

"We'll do that," Michiko smiled, bowing to the inkeeper, "Thank you!"

Michiko turned around, and after feeling the looks her friends were giving her, she said "What're we waiting for? Let's go to the common room for our keys!"

"Ok, smarty, we will," Ino agreed, taking Michiko's elbow and speaking while they walked down the hallway the innkeeper gestured towards.

"Yeah, let's just go see these _friends_ of ours," Tenten added, skepticism dripping in her tone while she took Michiko's other elbow.

"You couldn't have arranged to meet-" Pooriin started to say, while they turned the corner that lead to the common room, but when she looked in, her voice left her again.

"...Asuma!" Tenten gasped, looking across the room.

Upon hearing his name, the young man at the other side of the room laughed around the cigarette in his mouth while he nodded to Tenten and stood up.

"It's me," Asuma grinned, opening his arms to them, "I've missed you."

At first nobody moved; the three princesses were too stunned to do so, while glee kept Michiko from speaking. Finally, the blindfolded girl had to let her laughter loose; that familiar sound broke her friends out of their shock.

"How did you do that?" Ino exclaimed loudly, pinching Michiko's arm, "_How?!_"

"Asuma!" Pooriin ran forward, ignoring the other poeple in the room as she hurried to grab her guardian, "...Asuma!"

Tenten followed Pooriin slowly, leaving Ino and Michiko behind, unable to take her eyes off of Asuma, but also stuck at a walking pace. She could barely believe her eyes; it was Asuma, a familiar face from what seemed like another life, when they lived on a farm...

"How are you?" the Training Champion asked fondly, letting Pooriin go and turning to Tenten, "Tenten, stop being cool and give me a hug!"

"Asuma..." Tenten's voice quavered as she hugged her dear friend, "I am...so _glad_ to see you!"

"And I, you! ...Ah," understanding dawned on Asuma when normally distant Tenten kept him in a fierce bear hug, "So the rumours of your engagement are true..."

"They are!" Tenten affirmed, starting to sound panicky, "And the guy is _so weird_!"

"Easy, easy," Asuma said gently, holding Tenten at arm's length, "Don't completely lose your cool. Heh...that's Michiko's job."

"Ok," Tenten agreed, slapping the sides of her face lightly abnd taking a deep breath, "...all right, I'm calm again."

"That's my girl," Asuma smiled, chucking Tenten under her chin, and she found herself grinning back. She was starting to feel for the first time in over five months like she was coming home.

()

Unfortunately, thought the inn felt so much like home, Tenten couldn't sleep that night.

_What's wrong with me?_ Tenten thought, sitting up in the bed that she and Pooriin were sharing.

Tenten irritably scrubbed at her face with her hands, then got out of bed, careful not to make any noise. She was sharing the two-bed room with Pooriin, Ino, and Michiko, while the men shared the other room, and the other girls had already fallen asleep. Tenten tip-toed to the window and held the curtain aside so she could look out. The town's lights were all out, save for a candle she could see in someone's window in the distance, and the sky was clear of clouds, so she could see the stars.

_It's a beautiful night...I think I'll go for a walk to clear my head, _Tenten thought to herself, letting the curtain drop back into place, _This town looks pretty safe...yeah, why not?_

Creeping over to the doorway where her shoes were, Tenten took a moment to look over the other three girls. Pooriin was curled up on the bed, sleeping quietly, but her creased forehead told Tenten that her dreams weren't quite as peaceful as she looked. On the other bed, Michiko was sprawled over her side of the bed while she slept; Tenten couldn't help smiling while she pushed Michiko's chin up, closing the younger girl's mouth for her before she started snoring, or drooling, or something equally embarassing. And Ino lay on her side, a stark contrast to impish Michiko, somehow managing to have perfect hair, always the princess.

_...They'll be fine on their own,_ Tenten nodded silently, putting on her shoes, and without a sound, she left the room.

* * *

_Esperwen-_ I would just like to say, that I don't mean to bash Ino. I actually like Ino; in fact, I think I like her better than Sakura. But at this point, she still hasn't accepted the fact that Sasuke doesn't like her that way. And subtle hints are not Sasuke's forte. ...And yes, now you can see that Michiko isn't just the vulnerable crybaby of the group. She's also very good at plotting and sleeps with her mouth open (HA.).

Please review! I give out fortune cookies!


	13. Simple Advice and Dark Cloaks

_Esperwen- _Sorry for a late update (again)! I was up all night Sunday, and then I had to run around for more stuff yesterday, and I only just got a chance to sit down now. And even then, I'm at a band practice (lol...), so I'll be talking to people in-between reading this chapter over, so if something doesn't make sense, tell me in a review so I can edit it, but also remember that I was probably talking to someone at the time.

(the next day) Whoops. The people at practice needed me. So...I'm a day even later...eh-heh...(tugs collar)

Ok, here is chapter 13, ready for some R&R! ...'Read and review', not 'rest and relaxation'...

* * *

-Chapter Thirteen: Simple Advice and Dark Cloaks-

When Tenten came down the stairs, from the upper levels of the inn where all the rooms were, to the ground floor where the common room was, more and more noise came to her ears. The common room, where any food or entertainment in the inn was found, was brightly lit with lanterns. Deciding to see if Asuma or Kakashi were still up, Tenten entered the room, and she realized the noise she had been hearing was music being played by a group in the corner, as well as laughing and talking from the room's many occupants.

_It looks like either a tavern, or a party,_ Tenten thought, surveying her surroundings and looking for a familiar face.

After a moment, while ducking a boot that someone had misthrown, Tenten spotted Kakashi with his back to her at the bar, sitting alone but still nodding benignly at the other patrons as they passed him by. Tenten weaved through the crowd, trying to get beside her friend; she had seen him earlier, before the castle people went up to their rooms, but he had talked mostly with Sasuke and Pooriin, so Tenten thought she might as well say 'hello' now. Besides...there was something she wanted to ask him about.

"'Evening, Tenten," Kakashi said when Tenten got close, even before she tapped his shoulder and without turning around.

"You saw me come in here?" Tenten guessed, taking a seat on the stool beside him.

"No, I sensed you with my Guardian powers," Kakashi said confidently.

"There's no such thing," Tenten rolled her eyes, then pointed at Kakashi's face, "What happened?"

Kakashi had tied an eyepatch with a strange symbol over his left eye; the symbol seemed to be a swirl with a point added to it. Tenten had seen the same sign on Asuma's new Guardian weapons, but she didn't know what it meant.

"It's a charmed patch," Kakashi said, lifting the patch to wink at Tenten and show that he still had both his eyes, "I can actually see through it when I activate the charm, and it improves my eyesight for a few minutes."

"That's your special weapon? Better vision?" Tenten asked derisively, with a slight smirk.

"No, I got a charmed knife, too," Kakashi said, patting the weapon's handle where it was fastened to his belt, "The two weapons work together. It's a lot cooler than it sounds; I'll show you tomorrow."

"Ok!" Tenten said enthusiastically, eager to see how these fancy new weapons worked, "And um...what's the swirly symbol mean?"

"What symbol?"

Kakashi took off his eyepatch, then nodded understandingly when he saw the marking on it.

"Oh, _that_ symbol. It's the Guardian insignia for the citadel in our farm's area," Kakashi answered, repositioning his special eyepatch, "It's just to show where we're from; apparently there's more than one Guardian Citadel, but they're spaced pretty far apart."

"Really?" Tenten raised a skeptical eyebrow, "Are you serious, or are you making that up, like your 'special Guardian powers'?"

"Yes, I'm serious," Kakashi growled, swatting at Tenten's head, which she ducked with a smile.

"Good evening, Sir Champion, young miss," the bartender said at that moment, as he walked up to them, "Or should I say, good morning; it's just past midnight! Are you needing anything?"

"No, I'm still working on this," Kakashi declined, motioning to the mug he still held.

"I'll have some tea," Tenten requested, raising a hand; the bartender gave her a strange look, but he still went to carry out her order.

"Huh..." Kakashi swilled the ale in his mug around, a smile on his face, "I may make up 'Guardian powers', but at least I know what to order at a bar."

Tenten thought about saying that of course he knew, he was just at 'The Cream and Crop' a few hours before, but when she saw him miss his mouth and spill a little ale on his chin when trying to sip his drink, she let the issue drop. Clearly Kakashi hadn't fully adjusted to using only one eye. She thought about teasing him and calling him half blind, but then she remembered Michiko. And besides that, it was late, they were tired, and bickering would get them no-where.

"...hey," Kakashi said after a moment, "I've got some advice for you."

Tenten _really_ wanted to say, "Wow, this is a first," but she bit her tongue and simply nodded.

"What, no wisecrack about how I never try to help you guys out?" Kakashi teased.

"I won't say I wasn't thinking about it," Tenten replied, "But, continue."

"Uh-huh..." Kakashi narrowed his visible eye at her, "...For starters, you see that guy over there?"

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder in a small movement, and Tenten followed Kakashi's gesture across the room. A figure with a black, hooded cloak was sitting alone at a table, facing so that from Tenten's point of view he was looking to the side. Two people walked behind the stranger, but as they were about to pass him, one man stumbled. He seemed about to bump into hooded stranger, but at the last moment, the seated man shifted so that they missed him.

_How did he see them? He wasn't facing them at all,_ Tenten thought, _...I wonder if he can see Kakashi and me...?_

"Keep an eye on him. He watched you walk all the way from the door, to here," Kakashi said, taking another sip of ale and looking for all the world like he had no interest in anyone across the room.

"Right. Sounds terrifying," Tenten said boredly, casually waving a hello to the bartender who just happened to be looking their way; if that hooded person _was_ watching her and Kakashi, she didn't want to show any fear.

"Good. Play it cool. Just remember what I said," Kakashi said approvingly, then continued in a completely different tone, "Anyway, I think that when the bartender brings your wimpy tea..." Tenten kicked Kakashi, but he ignored it, "...you should talk to him. Maybe even ask what the inn's name means."

"Why?" Tenten asked with a wrinkled nose; she always suspected a trick with Kakashi's advice, especially remembering a story Hinata once told her of the first time he tried to 'help' Hinata and Neji.

* * *

_"It's all right, kids, don't be afraid of those bees," Kakashi said cheerfully, when the two white-eyed children saw a swarm of the insects in their field, "Just throw stuff at them and wave your arms around to hit them. Bees are born cowards; they'll just fly away. No, Neji, of course they won't get mad! Now start agitating them!"_

* * *

"Just do it," Kakashi answered, looking calm but with a playful growl in his voice, "There's no harm in asking. ...Here he comes."

"...Here's your tea," the barkeep said amiably, pouring a bit of the brew into a cup for Tenten to see, before pushing the cup towards her, "And I'll leave the small kettle here if you want more."

"Thank you," Tenten smiled, trying to quickly think of something Hinata, Pooriin or Michiko might say in this kind of situation; they were always so ridiculously polite or charming, which for some reason made strangers want to talk to them, "...Um...I hope it wasn't too much trouble."

"Oh, no, of course not," the barkeep grinned, "Though I have to say, tea isn't a common order at my bar."

"...Oh," Tenten said blankly, frantically trying to decide whether to apologize, or change the subject so that the bartender wouldn't leave. But thankfully, the barkeeper solved her problem for her.

"Actually, if you don't mind me asking..." the bartender leaned across the counter confidentially, "What's a rich crowd like you and your friends doing way out here, so far from any estate I know of?"

"Rich?" Tenten blinked, "How did...?"

"The blonde lady, her face and hands are too smooth; I'll bet ten years of my wages that she's never done any real work in her life. Your clothing, miss, they're made too finely and woven too well," the man waved the subject away, wanting his answer, "...well?

"It, well..." Tenten shrugged slowly, staring at the counter in front of her, "...we're all looking for someone."

"That so?" the bartender raised an eyebrow, "Who?"

"Oh, we're all looking for different people," Tenten explained, "It's just that we have only one lead, so we're all travelling together."

"Forgive me saying this, but one lead usually means only one person found," the barkeep said sombrely.

"But it's the only clue we have," Tenten said quickly, almost as a snap.

"Maybe," the man nodded, "But you've come to the right place. Do you know why this inn is called 'The Angel's Whisper'?"

"Do tell," Tenten said promptly, feeling extremely lucky that Kakashi's advice was being done for her.

"It's called that because every mystery or quest that has been brought here by a guest, has been solved by a rumour they heard here, in this inn," the man answered, tapping the counter for emphasis.

"...really?" Tenten asked skeptically, quickly throwing and annoyed look at Kakashi; why did he want her to know yet another fairytale?

"I say the truth," the barkeeper insisted, raising his eyebrows, "It's as if an angel whispered the rumours here, to solve any problem."

"Oh, yeah? Well..." Tenten decided to play along, "Any problem, right?"

"Right, anything!" the bartender said, smiling broadly.

Tenten pretended to think for a moment, "...Have you heard any rumours about, say, a boy with white eyes?" After all, there was no harm in asking.

"White eyes, eh?" the barkeep winked knowingly at Tenten, "Why, just last week I heard of such a boy."

"Prove it," Tenten smiled, still skeptical with the middle-aged man.

"Heh, you don't believe me," the bartender murmured, glancing around to make sure nobody else wanted to order a drink before continuing, "Well, a Traveling Champion told me, just last week, that a young man was accepted into Guardianship very recently. A boy, really; he was very young and had never seen the world before, but he was so skilled that they recruited him anyway. And wouldn't you know, his eyes were pale and colourless. White."

"How do I know that wasn't a lucky guess?" Tenten asked, her skepticism starting to soften a little.

"Well...the boy used to live on a farm...he had long, dark hair," the barkeeper rubbed his chin to remember more facts he had heard, "Oh, and he was becoming something of a hero! He made a point to always jump in to help people, be they attacked by some monster, or even if they needed an extra hand to get the harvest in. A very kind fellow, I think. See, if I made all that up, I wouldn't be able to think of so many details!"

"That _is_ something," Tenten said softly, silently bursting with pride; that had to be Neji! It sounded just like him! So he _had _become a Guardian! Finally, Tenten had recieved some good news; Neji was alright and doing well.

"...It's a pity about the accident, though," the barkeep added solemnly, after a pause.

"Wha- 'Accident'?" Tenten's face went blank, surprised by the man's sudden change of tone.

"Yes, an accident," the barkeep nodded, "Poor boy...he was allowed to take his Champion wanderings alone, you see. And one day, just a month or two after earning his charmed weapons, this young Champion comes across a farm being attacked by a troll. Now, a troll's not much of a challenge for a seasoned warrior, but this boy is new to slaying, and the farmer who told me this story, he said that the young Champion was a little on edge; maybe becaues there were people nearby who were in danger."

_Or maybe because they were farmers, like us,_ Tenten thought, a sinking feeling coming over her, _Maybe Neji took the fight too personally..._

"Anyway, so the Training Champion and troll, they get to fighting. The battle was long, and the boy did his best. The boy kept the troll moving further and further away from the family, even, protecting them like a true Champion. But in the end, the victory, just like the odds, it fell to the troll. The boy got a hefty swing to the side of his face, and he went flying across the field, crashing into the barn. And when the troll caught up the him, for the boy never got back up-"

"That's enough."

Kakashi arose from his stool and stood behind Tenten, putting a protective hand on her shoulder. Eyeing the barkeeper sternly, the frown under his mask was felt by Tenten, the barkeeper, and even a few people at nearby tables; several of them turned to see what was going on.

_Oh my goodness..._ Tenten thought, her face white as she stared mutely at the bartender.

"Wha...what's wrong?" the man stammered; he had been too wrapped up in telling his story to notice the changes in Tenten's expression.

_Neji..._

"She didn't pull 'white eyes' out of thin air," Kakashi explained in a deapan, "The boy she's looking for is most likely the Guardian-in-training you metioned."

"Oh...!" the man was genuinely upset, having had no idea he was doing any damage, "I...I must apologize, miss-"

The barkeeper moved his hand forward, maybe to touch Tenten's arm, but the girl squirmed off her stool and stepped back before he could reach her, widening the space between them.

"I..." Tenten looked around, painfully aware of the eyes on her, "I have to..."

A squeezing pain gripped Tenten's chest, and quickly she turned and ran out of the common room.

"I have to get outside," she whispered to herself, hurrying down the inn's hallway, but just before she reached the door, a hand gripped her arm, stopping her. Turning and looking up, a defeated look on her face, she saw that Kakashi had caught up to her; again she whispered, "I have to get outside."

"Tenten, listen," Kakashi started.

"I have to get outside," Tenten said clearly, shaking her head.

"It's only a rumour-"

"I have to...I have to..." Tenten stammered, her voice shaking, "...outside..."

"We've probably got it wrong, kid," Kakashi said, trying to calm Tenten down.

"Just let me go ouside!" Tenten yelled, startling Kakashi and loosening his grip, and finally she broke away from him and reached the door, escaping into the night.

_...What happened to 'no harm in asking'? _Kakashi thought as he watched her go, sadly wishing he hadn't given any advice, that night.

()

"Oh my gawd..."

Tenten walked down the town's unfamiliar streets, in a detached state. The night air was cold and windy, and her travelling cloak was light, but she didn't even bother holding it close around her.

_Neji..._ Tenten bit her lip, trying to get herself under control, _...Neji's gone..._

A shadow passed behind Tenten, but she never noticed it.

_What am I going to do? _Tenten thought, her eyes misting up, _He's gone..._

By now, though she had been too distracted to notice, Tenten had entered the abandoned part of town. It was very late, and nobody lived anywhere near that area; if Tenten had come out of her thoughts, or stopped staring at the ground in front of her, she would have realized she was surrounded by crumbling buildings and deserted alleyways.

_My Neji...he's...no, this can't be right...! It can't be!_

A low, unfriendly chuckle reached Tenten's ears, and looking up, she saw that she had come to a dead end. And before her, leaning against the crumbling building at the alley's end, a young man in a dark cloak was leering at her. Not liking his gaze, Tenten took a deep breath to gather control of herself, forcing back what might have been tears, then turning around to go back the way she came. She was in no mood to deal with crooks, that night.

But before she took even two steps, the dark figure blurred across the buildings on her right, and landed neatly to face her, about 10 metres away; now the man was blocking her only way out.

_How did he do that?_ Tenten thought, examining the stranger.

"Wanna play?" the man asked, giving Tenten a wide-eyed grin that our heroine frowned at.

"What do you want?" Tenten growled, widening her stance and crouching just a little bit closer to the ground, ready to either run or fight; whichever opportunity presented itself first.

"Ransom," he answered, opening his cloak and spreading his arms wide, still grinning, "For the life of his highness's precious fiancee."

Tenten blinked, then squinted her eyes so she coudld see the man better through the gloom. There was something weird about this man...

"How...you have...!" Tenten's eyes went wide when she realized what she was seeing.

"Six arms," the dark attacker sneered, taking a small step forward, "That's right. So you see, even if you do get the nerve to pull out a weapon, and even if you try to attack, I'll have no problem holding you down with at least four other arms to spare."

Tenten felt a cold, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she frowned and did her best to ignore it, refusing to give in.

_I miss you, Neji..._ she thought, spotting an old broom handle in a nearby barrel, _...and I want to be with you...but you'll have to wait a little._

Tenten leapt to the side, grabbed the broom handle, then turned to face her opponent again. He looked amused, rather than startled or worried, but Tenten ignored it.

_I have to rescue your sister, and protect your childhood friend, Neji,_ Tenten thought, holding the wooden pole at one end with both hands, _I don't want to be alone, apart from you...but please be patient. When Hinata, Michiko and Pooriin are safe, I'll catch up to you. I promise._

"I have places to be," Tenten growled, holding the pole over her head, as if holding a kendo sword in the ascension stance, "Now get out of my way, or get beaten into a pulp."

"...Heh. ...Heheheh..." the man chuckled slowly, never once averting his gaze from Tenten, "That's funny. Heh. You'll be fun to play wi-"

"Don't screw with me!"

Screaming wordlessly, though she wasn't sure she did it to alert people for help, or to scare her opponent, Tenten charged forward, gripping her broomstick sword tightly. But just as she got halfway to ther enemy, Tenten saw his face change from a passive smile, to a frown at something behind her. And before Tenten could turn and look to see what it was, a blur blocked her vision, and a painful blow hit her stomach. The last thing she was aware of was falling, before darkness consumed her.

* * *

_Esperwen-_ Check out my epic cliffhanger! (Don Kanonji impression) Bwahohohoho!

What's this? I sense spirits that are cursing me! Oh no! I need reviews! If they are cursing or blessing reviews, it doesn't matter; my show needs ratings!

(back to normal) ...Oh, the obscure, random character reference...Btw, I won't be able to post until maybe a week from today. So either keep checking back, or set up your alerts.


	14. As You Wish

_Esperwen-_ Sorry for taking forever, everyone! There was this wedding, and..._gah! _If you want a free week, do not allow yourself to become involved in the makings of a wedding. That is all I can say.

Anyway, thanks for your patience (or your cleverness with using FF's 'story alert' capability), and here's chapter 14:

* * *

-Chapter Fourteen: "As You Wish"-

When the world came back to Tenten, the first thing she felt was straw underneath her.

_Am I...at the farm?_ Tenten thought groggily.

She raised an arm to wipe sleep out of her eyes, and her wide sleeves brushed her face. Touching the fabric with both hands, Tenten realised it was neither wool nor cotton, but silk.

_Nevermind,_ Tenten sighed, letting her arms drop back down, _I'm still a princess...Ugh. ...wait, am I kidnapped?! What am I doing on straw?!_

Tenten tried to sit up, in a moment of panic, but something was held securely over her neck. Every time she tried to get up, whatever was there blocked her progress and kept her pinned to the straw and wooden boards she lay on.

"I would take it easy, if I were you," a rough voice said, nearby.

Tenten didn't reply at first; looking around, she saw she was in a barn or stable loft, with some large, black cloak on top of her like a blanket. Throwing the cloak off, irritably, and touching what held her down, she found she was held captive with the wooden handle she had been holding before she blacked out. It was leaning against a block of wood that was nailed down, right beside her neck, so she couldn't wriggle under and out. Turning her head, Tenten saw that her captor crouched nearby, with a foot on the pole, preventing her from being able to lift the broomstick up. He was dressed in plain clothes, which may have been white at one time, but were now somewhat worn down and stained with travel, and a light gray mask covered the bottom half of his face. Tenten could only see his profile, because his face was turned away, and sunlight coming in through a window shone into his eyes, so Tenten could only tell that they were light-coloured.

"Who are you?" Tenten asked emotionlessly; she was still a bit groggy from being knocked unconscious.

"Nobody of consequence," the man replied, his voice sounding strained, as if it were unnatural to him.

"Were you the one that knocked me out?"

"Yes."

"...Are you with the spider-like man?" Tenten asked.

"No," was his terse reply.

"Did the king send you?"

"...not directly."

"Then what do you want with me?" Tenten wondered, starting to get annoyed with this toneless man.

"Ransom. So I suppose in a way, his Majesty did send me."

Tenten raised her eyebrows, disbelieving, then her temper reared its enraged head, and angrily she tried to kick out at her captor. This guy was so...! However, she painfully found that the block of wood by her neck also prevented her from twisting to the side.

"Damn!" Tenten exclaimed, rubbing her sore neck, "Dammit! Damn _you,_" she pointed at her new enemy, "And damn Gai for getting me into this mess!"

"...Feh...that's some affection for your fiance," the man rasped, cold humour in his tone.

"My fi-...!" Tenten threw him a baleful look; she was really going to lose her temper if he didn't let her go, soon!

"I'm not marrying King Gai! I'd kill myself, first! I'm marrying the stupid Prince stupid Lee! And you know what? You can damn Lee, too!"

It was the man's turn to raise his eyebrows when he heard those words. After a thoughtful moment, he closed his eyes and bowed his head, chuckling silently.

"What're you laughing at? Tenten snapped, really not liking this man.

"Nothing...I simply should have expected such an attitude from someone who...could not love," he replied, still not looking at her.

"'I can't'..." Tenten's voice trailed off, then her temper flared up again, "What the hell do you mean, 'I can't love'?!"

"Oh, I've heard stories of you, _Highness_," he said, saying the title like an insult, "You once lived on a farm, correct?"

"...Yes-"

"And there you tormented, for sport, a boy who loved you."

"What?! That's not wh-"

"But then you saw that boy actually had a chance at a bright future," the young man stood up and turned completely away from Tenten, disgusted, "You pretended to love him so that you, too, could have that glorious future!"

"No!" Tenten's voice cracked, but she swallowed and ignored the mist in her eyes to say, "No, I truly lo-"

"But then you found a chance at your own, greater glory! Marry the heir to the Lotus Throne!" the man growled, ignoring Tenten's protests, "So you forgot about that boy. And here we are now."

"You...you pig!" Tenten spat as her vision blurred, struggling with the pole that held her down, again, "You don't understand a thing!"

"I think I understand, Highness," the man in the mask said coldly, "You're completely incapable of love. Heartless."

"Oh, really? Am I?!" After hearing those biting words, Tenten couldn't hold back her tears any longer; she let them fall, no longer caring who saw, "If that is true, what aches every time I think of him? What beats faster when my friends and I find something that reminds us of him? What is grieving, now that I've found out that he's dead?! I have a heart, you bastard; I'm not the one collecting lives for money! Did you know...I'm never going to see my Neji again in this life, and the only thing stopping me from joining him, is that I promised him I'd take care of his sister and friend. The _only_ thing. And...and..." Tenten finally yelled at her captor, "And they need me, dammit, so just..._just let me go!_"

During Tenten's whole tirade, the man never moved an inch, his back to her the entire time. A moment passed after her outbust, and still he did not move. A thought occurred to Tenten; maybe she had made him so angry that he would suddenly whirl around and beat her, thoroughly enraged with her insolence. Silently, Tenten cringed, but she wiped her eyes and kept her face straight; nothing was going well for her that day.

But instead, the stranger shifted his weight, and hooked the foot that had been standing on the pole underneath the broomstick. In one fluid motion, he kicked up the broom handle, so it came away from Tenten's neck, and into his hand.

"As you wish. ...Highness," he said softly, no longer making his voice rough to disguise it.

_...it...it can't be..._ Tenten thought, slowly getting up, disbelievingly.

Then he turned back to her, his eyes no longer closed or disguised by sunlight. And his eyes were as pale as winter's full moon.

"Neji!" Tenten exclaimed, jumping up and running at him with her arms outstretched.

"Tenten," he smiled, though his mask hid it; he took a few steps forward to meet her halfway.

"Neji! It's really...! How could...But he said...!"

Tenten's momentum when she embraced Neji caused both of them to stumble backwards, until the wall behind Neji stopped them with a thud.

"Careful," Neji chided gently, a smile in his tone.

"Sorry," Tenten chuckled, but then she continued in almost a whisper, gripping the front of his shirt tightly as if he might disappear any moment, "Oh my gawd, is that really you?"

"Yes, it is," Neji answered, nodding emphatically as he brushed a few strands of hair from Tenten's face and tucked them behind her ear.

"But then..." Tenten looked searchingly at Neji's face, then rolled her eyes, "Ok, what's with this mask?"

"Nothing," Neji said too quickly, pushing Tenten back.

"Oh, come on," Tenten teased, grabbing at Neji's mask, "What's with this Kakashi impression?"

"Don't-!" Neji started, but before he could stop her, Tenten pulled the grey cloth down.

Neji started to turn away and put up a hand to cover it, but Tenten's low gasp told him that she had still managed to see what he was trying to hide.

At first, there was a shocked silence, but Tenten soon recovered, accepting what she saw. After all, she loved her Neji because he was who he was. Not because of what he looked like.

For Neji had a jagged wound across his face.

The wound was about a finger's width thick, and though it did not bleed, it was still an angry red as it tore across Neji's face; the wound started from his right cheekbone, went across the bridge of his nose, down his left cheek, and ended just below his left ear.

"...what happened?" Tenten asked, pulling at the wrist of the hand that Neji was using to cover his face, "Let's see it."

"Leave it," Neji protested, batting off Tenten's hands with one arm, keeping the other on his face, "...Stop!"

"Would you...just...aha!" Tenten exclaimed, pinching Neji's side.

"Ow!"

Neji grabbed Tenten's pinching hand, but she kept putting pressure, staying latched on. She used her free hand to pinch Neji at the other side, and reflexively Neji put his other hand out to stop her, leaving his face uncovered. Just as Neji realized his mistake, Tenten leaved forward, and her lips met his; at the same time, Tenten stopped pinching him, and Neji let her hands go. After a brief, tender moment, Tenten put her arms around Neji's neck, and when they pulled apart, their eyes were soft when they looked at each other.

"I don't care about it," Tenten smiled gently, "...I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," Neji nodded, touching the side of Tenten's face.

The two were silent, savouring their first moment back together, but then Tenten's smile slipped a little, when reality and the night before came back to her.

"The barkeeper at my inn told me a troll killed you," she said, remembering what she had heard the night before.

"He got it wrong," Neji said, putting his arms around Tenten, "I was just wounded. He's also the one that said you were engaged to King Gai. I supposed his information is close, but not quite."

"But...wait, how do you know we're talking about the same guy?" Tenten asked, looking up at Neji skeptically, _Neji's gotten taller since he left the farm..._

"I'm also staying in 'The Angel's Whisper'," Neji explained, "I was in the common room last night. I think Kakashi saw me looking at you when you came in, but you didn't pay me much attention. And you never noticed I was following you when you left the inn."

"Well, I was kind of, I don't know..._sad_ when I left," Tenten said sarcastically, resting her head against Neji's chest, still not quite believing what was happening.

"...Tenten," Neji started, holding her a little tighter, "Why didn't you wait for me? The farmhouse was empty when I got back, and rain basically ruined the note you left."

"Well...the Lotus Castle sent for us, and the thing is..." Tenten looked up at him again, "Neji, I'm so sorry..."

"What is it?" Neji asked, careful to keep his voice level, _What else has fallen apart while I was gone?_

"It's Hinata...she was kidnapped by some witch... I...It was the same day you left, and by the time I got back, she was gone," Tenten explained, too ashamed to look Neji in the eye anymore, "So, when we got the chance to go to the Lotus Castle, I agreed to go because people there might have known about the kidnapper."

"Hinata-chan was...damn," Neji breathed, a frown growing across her newly scarred face, "Then...why are you engaged to Prince Lee?"

"I _had_ to," Tenten ducked her head, pressing her forehead against the front of Neji's shirt, "King Gai threatened to kill Kakashi and Asuma if I refused."

Neji didn't speak for a moment, then he tilted up Tenten's chin so that she met his eyes again.

"Neji, I"m so sorry..." Tenten said again, but Neji shook his head.

"There must be some loophole or way out that we can use," Neji pointed out, "And threatening our friends' lives is now useless, since they're Guardians; we have our own hierarchy and laws, and no country's king or emperor have any real claim on our lives, anymore. It's disputable, but true. We'll work this out."

"I-" Tenten started, but Neji stopped her with a soft kiss.

"I love you, and I'm not lettting you go. It'll be fine," Neji insisted, but Tenten gave him a aggravated look, and after a moment, Neji had to ask, "...what is it?"

"You make it sound like King Gai is completely sane and reasonable," Tenten answered, earning a mildly amused look from Neji, "What? It's true."

Our favourite white-eyed Guardian-in-Training opened his mouth to rationalize with Tenten, but then he was conveniently interrupted.

"Whoa! What's going on, Tenten?" a loud voice questioned, causing both the sweethearts to jump, "Who's that?"

"Who just...!" Tenten exclaimed, looking around wildly for the speaker.

"Kakashi," Neji nodded, pointing out the window for Tenten's benefit.

"Oh, it's Neji! I didn't recognize you with that huge scar! I'd heard you were dead!" Kakashi smiled, waving to the young couple from the branch of a tree just outside of the stable's window.

_How did I not hear him climb up there?!_ Tenten thought, a nerve and sweatdrop appearing on her forehead.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Neji said sardonically, rolling his eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Tenten exclaimed, having the strangest 24 hours of her life.

"Well, from my room in the inn, I heard a commotion in the stable loft," Kakashi began to explain, "So, I thought I would come out and...Hey, Tenten, what's with the pole? ...Wha...wait! What're you...! Don't...! AGH!"

Tenten stood triumphantly at the window, one foot on the sill and holding her broom handle like a staff. Below, Kakashi lay sprawled rather ungloriously on the ground, having fallen from his perch.

"Ow..." the older Guardian-in-Training groaned, regretting teasing Tenten, yet again.

"Don't you think that was a little much, Tenten?" Neji asked glancing down at his former caretaker before dismissing him and looking at Tenten again.

"Nope," Tenten grinned, looking back at her love.

"Kakashi, what happened?" Pooriin's voice came to their ears, as well as a door slamming, "Asuma says to come inside; we'll eat breakfast first before looking for Tenten. Can you make it?"

"I didn't think so either," Neji chuckled, wrapping his arms around Tenten from behind.

"I think I need help, Pooriin," Kakashi moaned, waiting for Pooriin to reach him before even trying to get up.

"Aw, poor Kakashi-kun," Pooriin said sympathetically, putting one of his arms over her shoulders, "Here, I'll support you."

"Thanks," Kakashi smiled at Pooriin, then scowled at the stable's window, "Quick, Neji, push Tenten down!"

"Tenten? And...Neji?" Pooriin looked at Kakashi questioningly, then, after following his gaze, her expression lightened dramatically, "_Neji!_"

The girl dropped Kakashi, allowing him to crumple to the ground again, and ran for the stable doors.

"Pooriin!" Kakashi sighed, mildly hurt, "Thanks for nothing..."

"Wonderful. Pooriin is going to tackle me when she gets up here," Neji winced.

"Oh, relax," Tenten shrugged uncaringly, teasing him, "It'll be fine. Just like you said, right?"

"NEJI! What happened to you face?!"

"Yes, it will," Neji confirmed, moving away from Tenten and turning to the loft's ladder, bracing himself for Pooriin, "Trust me."

Tenten looked at Neji, still barely able to believe that he was really there, with her. His travelling and training had done him good, she realized. He was a Guardian-in-Training, he was stronger, he was more confident, he said he loved her...and he was willing to work her engagement out with her. All she had to do was trust him.

Tenten couldn't hold back a smile as she whispered:

"As you wish."

* * *

"Aw, that's sooo cute!" Shiyama hugged her plush butterfly to her chest, her eyes slightly aglow with delight, "Grandpa, I like your stories!"

"Ew..." Shiari muttered, lying on his back in bed, his eyes narrowed into slits, "That's corny..."

"Ari-kun, you were listening!" Yama cheered, sitting up straighter as she turned to look at her younger brother.

"I..._no_, I was...hmph."

The children's grandfather hid a smile while he watched the young boy roll over so that his back was to the both of them. During the whole story, Ari had been listening; the grandfather could tell.

"So what happens next, Grandpa?" Yama asked, leaning forward; she was so intent on listening that she never saw her brother roll over to face the ceiling again, so that he could hear his grandfather better.

"Well, now that Tenten and Neji were together again, their problems were over," the grandfather answered, getting up from his chair, "That is all."

"Wait, Grandpa, where're you going?" Yama asked, while her grandfather stretched where he stood.

"That is all," he repeated, putting his hands in his pockets, "Erm...the end."

"Eeehh?!" Yama's jaw dropped and Ari sat up, "But Tenten's still gonna marry the silly prince! What happened?"

The grandfather suppressed a sigh, wanting to go home. It was very late, basically early morning, and both he and the children needed their sleep.

"Well, originally, Neji and Tenten wanted the king to be told that they were dead, and therefore, Lee would have nobody to marry, but when the time came for Sakura to inform King Gai of the trip's events..." his voice trailed off.

"...What, Grandpa, what?" Yama stared at her grandfather, wide-eyed, even Ari was looking at him intently.

"Well...by then King Gai was overthrown," he answered vaguely.

"Overthrown? Did he get hurt?" Yama looked confused.

"Was there a fight, at least?" Ari couldn't help adding.

"...no," was the frustrating reply.

"What?! Then how did Neji win?!" Ari bursted out, feeling cheated of a fight scene.

"Politics," the grandfather answered.

"Is 'Politics' Neji's special fighting style?" Ari asked, thinking of Neji's charmed black guantlets.

"Not quite," the grandfather shook his head, putting away the small chair he had been sitting on.

"Grandpa, you can't leave now!" Yama exclaimed, starting to get out of bed.

"You haven't really finished your story," Ari agreed, while the grandfather gently pushed Yama back into bed.

"But it is not my story. It is Tenten's story," the grandfather pointed out, then motioned towards the window, "Look, the storm has passed. It is time for me to head home, and for you two to sleep."

"But what about Hinata and the doggie and all of them?" Yama asked, putting on her best wounded puppy face.

"And politics?" Ari added, making a fist to show how serious and enthusiastic he was.

"..."

Looking down at the twins, the grandfather struggled with himself for a moment. He dearly loved his grandchildren, and did want to fulfill their every wish, but sleep was sleep.

"Now that Tenten and Neji are reunited, their story has ended. What you two speak of are other people's stories," he finally said, "Perhaps another time."

"Tomorrow?" Yama pressed, "I love stories, Grandpa, and you tell the best ones!"

"...Very well," the grandfather allowed, kissing both children on the forehead, "If I am not called away, then I shall tell another story tomorrow."

"Promise?" Yama asked, tugging on her grandfather's sleeve.

"I promise," the middle-aged man nodded, and when he reached the twins' bedroom door, he turned back to them, saying, "Now goodnight, young ones."

"Goodnight, Grandfather," the twins chorused together, and the man left, closing the door behind them.

"...I hope Grandpa doesn't go on another trip tomorrow," Yama whispered fervently.

_Me too,_ Ari thought, but he would have died before letting his sister know.

As she lay quietly in bed, Yama started to worry about something. The grandfather had left the room's candle lit; it was all the way on the other side of the room from the beds, beside the door. Yama supposed she could wait for the candle to burn itself out, but it was a tall candle and her parents always said not to waste good candles. But then, if she got out of bed to blow it out, she would have to run back in the dark, and she might trip, or jump into Ari's bed by mistake, or something under her bed might grab her ankle with cold fingers and...! Yama put her head under her covers, wishing she hadn't imagined that last thought. If only they had a nightsstand by their beds, or something; then she could take the candle to bed with her!

"...Ari-kun..." Yama whispered, glancing out from under her bedspread.

"What now?" Ari asked in a tired tone of voice, rolling to face his sister.

"Can you get the candle? I'm scared of the dark..."

"You're scared of everything," Ari grumbled.

"_Please,_ Ari-kun!" Yama pleaded, "The windowsill's right beside your bed; you can put the candle there before blowing it out! Please get the candle?"

At first, the boy didn't move a muscle. But just as Yama started to ask again, Ari mumbled something, got up, stepped across the room, and blew the candle out right where it was on the table before recrossing the room and climbing back into bed.

"...Ari-kun, did you say something?" the girl whispered, wanting to know what her brother had mumbled.

"Yama, go to sleep!"

Finally, the girl obeyed her brother, curling up in her bed and getting herself comfortable for the night. But she had to smile.

Because she knew that she had heard her brother mumble, "As you wish."

* * *

_Esperwen-_ I LOVE THOSE TWINS! (deep breath) Yes, now you know why I kept putting off posting this chapter. It's the last one. And I'm kind of worried how people are going to react to this...

In my defense, the grandfather is right! Tenten's story ends here, because this is where her problems end! Face it: when Tenten and Neji are together, nothing can stop them (Tenten has ultimate attack, Neji has ultimate defense. They win!).

The next story I'll be posting is "Sakura and Ino's Story". You'll have to give me a month or two (or three...). I prefer to completely finish writing a story before posting it; I'm a control freak and perfectionist like that; so you're just going to have to check in on my profile every week for updates.

So yes, thank you all for your invaluable support! I honestly thought nobody would read this fic, so all of you far exceeded my expectations!

Until a couple months from now...ja ne!


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